


To Run With The Rising Sun

by KittyoftheNight



Category: Bitten (TV)
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-20
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-08 10:04:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 51,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3205214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyoftheNight/pseuds/KittyoftheNight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coming back to Bear Valley had always been a challenge, but as time passed, it only became harder. Things change for Celine when she finally decides to come back for a visit, only to have her entire life turned upside down on the eve of her return. Will she survive or will she fall. Only time will tell in this perilous journey. Jeremy DanversxOFC</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Please check at the end of the story.

**To Run With The Rising Sun**

**Chapter 1**

**The Beginning**

                Her eyes stared outwards, looking at everything, but nothing at the same time. Her pupils were dilated, rising out, expanding as they seemed to block out most of the the grey that was her eyes. Things shifted in front of her, things that she didn’t understand. Her vision turned yellow and green, alternating with other colors as though seeing through filtered lenses. Something was changing inside of her and it scared her as she lay there, leg bleeding, hands shaking. She’d been attacked. Not once, not twice, but three times had it caught her skin, slicing it open. Her body shook as she breathed out, pain overriding her conscious mind. She was going to die out there and no one would be the wiser.

~*~

Earlier that day

~*~

                Rays of light shown in through clear glass windows, a mop of dark hair pressed against the glass in sleep. A large bump in the tracks sent them jolting awake after knocking their head against the window pane. Staring forward, the woman blinked, rubbing her eyes for a moment trying to rid them of sleep. She blinked again before running a hand through her hair, eyes turning to look out the window and into the tree line. She was almost back, a faint smile on her face as she knew her parents would be waiting for her right where they always did.

                Above her head, the loud speaker crackled for a moment, before a voice broke through.

                “Arriving in Bear Valley in ten minutes,” the man’s voice came through. “Please continue to stay seated until we make a full stop.”

                With that, the speakers went quiet, the other passengers conversing happily. It was obvious that they were happy to be arriving close to on time. With that, she pulled up her sleeve, glancing at the old vintage watch on her wrist. The copper of the Indian head penny shown back at her, the thin silver hands reading eleven thirty three. She could feel the smile pulling at her lips as she felt her stomach rumble. She’d be going to the diner for lunch once she got off the train, making her way into town and staying at one of the local inns.

~*~

                “Yes, that’s correct, room three on the ground floor,” the woman spoke on the phone as she got out of the cab, placing her hand over the phone for a moment as she gave her thanks to the man. “Yes, I’ll pay the fee for transport. Just place it on my card. Yes, you too.”

                With that, she ended the call, looking out at the diner in front of her. Walking inside, she looked around, noticing the girl behind the counter, her red hair peeking out here and there.

                “Kelly, is that you?” she asked, a smile on her face as she stepped forward.

                Sure enough, it was her old friend from high school.

                “Celine Hamilton!” the girl practically screamed, quickly making her way out from behind the counter to hug her old friend.

                Celine laughed as she wrapped her arms around the girl, drawing in a breath.

                “How long has it been?” she asked. “Two, three years?”

                Celine grimaced, rubbing the back of her neck. She hadn’t been back in almost two years, having  buried herself in her work. She meant to visit a few times a year, but as time passed, her visits became far and few between.

                “Almost two,” Celine admitted.

                “I mean, what happened to holidays and the girls’ night outs?” Kelly asked, pouting as she looked down at her friend.

                Celine stood at a mere five foot five, while Kelly stood at five foot eight, and that wasn’t including the high heels that she normally wore. Not that Celine really cared, she had a few pairs of heels of her own, but none of them were nearly as high as Kelly’s. Tossing that aside though, Celine shook her head, offering her friend a proper smile for once.

                “How about some food?” Celine asked. “After all, I just came from the train station.”

                Kelly’s eyes widened in realization at Celine’s words, quickly ushering her into a seat, and taking her jacket.

                “I am _so_ sorry,” she said, laughing nervously as she quickly grabbed a menu and handed it over. “You know, you just have to tell me to shut up one of these times,” she laughed, going back behind the counter for a moment to get her note pad.

                “I’d _never_ do that,” Celine laughed, smiling as she watched her friend run around the diner. “Besides, you haven’t seen me in almost two years, it’s to be expected,” she assured her.

                “Still. Now, what do you want?” Kelly asked firmly, trying to act professional.

                Celine sat there for a moment as she looked over the menu, silently weighing her options. She honestly didn’t feel like a burger at the moment and the prospect of dumplings was just too much for her to pass up.

                “I think I’ll go with the dumplings,” she announced. “And some hot tea to go with it.”

                “Alrighty, dumplings and tea coming up.”

                With a firm nod of her head, Kelly disappeared, taking her menu with her as she went to fill her order. From what Celine could tell, Kelly seemed fairly serious about her job, and that made Celine very proud of her. In the past, Kelly had never really taken such opportunities seriously, and Celine had warned her that if she kept it up then it would catch up to her. Luckily, it seemed like the girl had finally settled down enough to actually concentrate on one.

                “Here you go,” Kelly smiled, sliding a cup of steaming tea in front of her friend. “I’ll have your dumplings out in a few minutes.”

                “Thanks Kelly.”

                After that, Celine turned back to her tea, sliding it a bit closer. Turning to her right, she plucked a few packets of sugar from their place, tearing the tops open with her teeth and dumping them into the cup. She then took the spoon from the rolled up cutlery set and started stirring it up. She let out a sigh though as she watched the steam roll off the top, quietly curling around her finger as she let it hover above the cup, silently becoming lost in her own thoughts.

                As Kelly had pointed out, Celine had come home less and less over the years. In a way, it wasn’t necessarily deliberate, but at the same time it was. After everything with her parents she just seemed out of place whenever she came home, resulting in fewer and fewer visits. Normally, she’d just shut herself up in her apartment with her roommate Helen, working on different projects here and there. In order to make a living she would clean houses and similar things, ending up with a fairly open schedule. This left her able to work on her art, normally selling off low cost commissions for portrait paintings as she was still trying to make her way into a gallery. Every now and then, she’d make time for more personal projects, working on her landscapes among others. In a hour, most of her luggage would be at the inn, resting inside the room for her to work with once she felt she was ready.

                After she ate, Celine had bid her friend farewell. Once she had checked in at the inn, she had set everything up, pulling out her paints and other supplies. After a few hours of barely painting though, she decided to make her way out for her visit. She had nothing else to do save for nostalgia. In fact, at times, that’s really about the only reason why she even bothered to come home. After all, her parents were the only reason, and even that wasn’t saying much.

~*~

                So many thoughts ran through her head as she walked up the path, grass having already grown over in different spots. Still, her boots managed to kick up dirt every time she came. It never changed. The bushes were the same, no one having bothered to trim and clean them up, random shoots popping out unevenly as a result. Her heartbeat picked up a bit. Kids had left trash laying around, littering the ground. She even found a few beer bottles as she got closer, quietly flexing her hands.

                What irritated Celine the most was the dirt she found covered what should have been polished stone, subconsciously biting down on her lip.

                “Hi…” she breathed out, kneeling down as she brushed her fingers over the edge of the headstone.

                She could feel her lip quiver as she sat there, eyes welling up with tears. The names Charles and Erica Hamilton stared back at her, taunting her almost. She racked her nails over the dry dirt, scratching it off in an attempt to free the stone from the unwanted hindrance. A speck of grey peeked through as she continued, rubbing the palm of her hand against it as well. The dirt had likely decorated the stone for months, covering and shielding it from the light. The grass around it was filled with weeds for which she soon found herself pulling up.

                _“Come on, you can do better than that,” her father teased._

                Celine cried, pulling at weeds as the fibers tore away at her hands, slicing the sensitive top layer of flesh. It didn’t seem to bother her as she kept at it though, pulling them up by the roots and tossing them to the side one by one. She had promised herself that she would oversee the sight during each visit, but had failed. That thought alone seemed to fuel her emotions as she continued to tear into the ground, shredding the grass along with the weeds. She should have been there before now, should have been there months ago, should have been there period. As that realization hit her she slammed her hands down into the dirt, her nails digging in as she sobbed.

                _“What’s the matter baby?” her mother asked._

                As she cried, the sky continued to darken. In a way, it almost seemed to mimic her mood, the clouds above turning dull and foreboding. She could practically smell the rain in the air, yet she didn’t care. When it finally began to pour, her eyes closed, a shiver running down her spine. The ran itself seemed  to still her for a moment, allowing her to take in the world around her. She had no clue how long she had sat there, the rain soaking her clothes and body to the core. It washed her clean, draining her tears from her eyes along with her emotions, dulling them.

                _“Come on baby, you’ll be alright,” her mother spoke sweetly. “It’s just a storm.”_

                Celine stared up at the sky, the rain falling on her face. She used to hate storms as a child, her mother comforting her whenever one would roll into town. As she got older though, they didn’t really bother her that much. Instead, they managed to give her a bit of peace of mind, reminding her that when it was all over that things would be washed clean.

                _“See, even Simon wants to play,” her mother laughed, pointing to their dog as he ran around outside, jaw snapping as he tried to catch and eat the rain drops that fell._

                Celine closed her eyes, taking in a shaky breath as she began to stand. As she stood, she heard a twig snap, brows furrowing as she turned her head. The breeze, blew her hair up in front of her making her push it back down.

                “Some one there?” she called out, another shiver running through her spine.

                Another snapped, turning her head to the right.

                “Hello?”

                Her eyes widened though as a bolt of lightning struck, lips parting in disbelief. There was a growl and she backed away, her breath catching in her throat as she stared at the beast in front of her, unable to distinguish whether it was a coyote or something else. As it drew closer, snapping at her she took in its size. The thing could have easily been twice her size.

                “Easy now,” she stammered.

                A scream tore through her at the next bolt, the creatures fangs tearing into her shoulder like a piece of meat. Blood flew as she fell to the ground, knocking her head on one of the stones, momentarily knocking her senseless. She felt it again as teeth sank into her lower left leg, crushing and pulling her through the grass towards the trees. The storm muted her cry as she tried to pull away, only to have the beast bite down harder, pulling her further from the cemetery and through the undergrowth.

~*~

                Her eyes stared outwards, looking at everything, but nothing at the same time. Her pupils were dilated, rising out, expanding as they seemed to block out most of grey that was her eyes. Things shifted in front of her, things that she didn’t understand. Her vision turned yellow and green, alternating with other colors as though seeing through filtered lenses. Something was changing inside of her and it scared her as she lay there, leg bleeding, hands shaking. She’d been attacked. Not once, not twice, but three times had it caught her skin, slicing it open. Her body shook as she breathed out, pain overriding her conscious mind. She was going to die out there and no one would be the wiser.

                That’s what she thought as she lay there until she heard a howl. Her mind raced for a moment, thinking that whatever it had been had decided to come back for her and finish the job. She was met with an unexpected surprise though when something slightly different came trotting towards her, its eyes never wandering.

                In front of her stood something different, its fur long and full, instead of the matted mane that had belonged to the previous animal. The creature seemed to blend in with the darkness, panting lightly. Standing in front of her were the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. They seemed to pierce right through her as it slowly crept forward, its nostrils flaring slightly as it sniffed her wounds, before growling low in its throat.

                “It… It’s okay,” she whispered quietly, swallowing the lump in her throat.

                Again, pain shot through her, her teeth pressing tightly together as she felt something move. A crack soon followed as she cried out. It had felt like her hand had been broken, reset, and then broken again. She watched as one of her fingers seemed to extend, the knuckled being pressed back and down out of the way. A whine followed a moment later as the beast lowered its head toward her as if trying to comfort her. Was it showing sympathy for her?

                Carefully, Celine lifted her other hand, slowly reaching toward the creature. It didn’t move as she placed her hand on its head, burying her fingers in its luscious fur. Again, it whined, lowering itself further until it was laying beside her. Its tongue reached out cautiously and licked at her face, resulting in pain as it cleaned the blood from the marks on her face. Again, it howled, the sound nearly splitting her eardrums in the process.

                Before long, she could hear footsteps. They sounded so close and at the same time, so far away. Dark clad feet were in front of her next as she closed her eyes, blinking slowly as her vision blurred again, merging into all sorts of strange shapes. Whoever it was seemed to be checking her over for a moment, hands gliding over her arms and side. They checked her shoulder and then her leg, lightly testing the skin as it burned with its own white hot pain. Celine couldn’t complain though as the bits seemed tolerable compared to everything else.

                For a moment, Celine’s mind went back to the night five years ago, images fading in and out of her line of sight. She could hear the crack of the gun as the lightning struck and she could feel the blood on her face. She didn’t want to die tonight, but she wasn’t sure if it mattered.

                “Please…” she tried, voice cracking. “I don’t…want to die.”

                With that, Celine’s world went black.

 


	2. Carry You Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration: Carry You Home by Zara Larsson  
> Please listen to this song as it is kind of fitting to the situation

**To Run With The Rising Sun**

**Chapter 2**

**Carry You Home**

                Light. As faint glow met clammy yet burning skin. Light. It flooded the room, sparking consciousness for a brief moment, then darkness.

~xXx~

                _“Hey, Mom, watch this!”_

_A little girl came running forward, dark hair whipping behind her head as she pushed herself forward. She let out a cry of excitement as she launched herself forward, her little feet catching the edge of the swing as she gripped the chain in her hands. She was sent flying into the air, laughter echoing around her as a feeling of contentment overwhelmed her._

_She loved running around with the wind in her face, testing herself to see just how far she could go, her passion for life burning inside of her. It was just the way that she was, always seeming to surprise her parents as she went out of the way to have fun._

_“Careful sweetie,” her mother called out, a faint smile painted on her full pink lips as she stared at her daughter._

_“But its fun Mom,” she whined, giggling as she let her feet slip suddenly, her mother’s eyes going wide in shock._

_“Celine!” her mother yelled, about ready to run toward her daughter before she watched her grin, easily catching herself and placing her butt at the edge of the seat._

_“See Mom, I’m fine,” Celine laughed._

~xXx~

                “What are we going to do?”

                The voice came from the shadows. There was concern held within the question as the male spoke, turning toward their companion.

                “We can’t just leave her like that,” he expressed, running a hand through his hair, various strands falling back down in his face.

                “Clay,” his companion began, holding up a hand in an attempt to stop him. “She has already come this far. Why don’t we wait and see how things pan out,” the man suggested, turning  his attention toward where their guess laid in a cage, the metal reflex in the afternoon light.

                “But Jeremy,” Clay started again, pacing around the room. “She was already bleeding out when we found her. How do we know she’ll even make it?” he asked, looking toward the man that he considered a father.

                “We must be patient Clay,” Jeremy offered. “Please, trust me on this?”

                Clay stood there for a moment, reaching his hand out and resting it on one of the bar on the cage. The woman inside laid there on the makeshift bed, hair sticking to her face with fever. She had already been removed of her clothing and dressed in a simple cotton dress once belonging to his mate. As she lay there, her breath came out in spurts as pain continued to plague her body. Despite all of this though, her body still seemed to be copping with it, managing the pain as best as it could.

                “I trust you,” Clay said, bowing his head in respect as his eyes trailed along the woman’s for one more time.

                He then turned his back to the cage and making his way toward the stairs.

                “I’ll bring some food down in a bit.”

                With that, Clay left the room all together.

~xXx~

_“Hey, Dad?” Celine spoke up._

_“Yeah?”_

_Her father stared down at her for a moment, reeling in his line as he sat beside her. They’d gone out to the lake for a fishing trip, deciding on a bit of father daughter bonding time._

_“Why is it you and Mom don’t talk as much anymore?” she asked, looking over at him from her spot in the boat._

_Ever since she had turned 14, it had become more and more obvious that something was up between the two of them. Some times, she wondered if it had to do with her. Other times, she wondered if it had been a result of some outside source._

_“Celine,” he started, slowly letting out a breath of air before turning toward his daughter. “You’re mother and I love you very much. You know that, right?” he asked, confusing her for a moment._

_“Yeah,” she nodded, unsure of where it was going with everything._

_“Your mom always wanted kids,” he said, pulling in his line a bit further. “She was so happy when we go word that she was pregnant with you,” he smile, thinking back on it. “We had tried for three years before we finally had you in front of us.”_

_Again, Celine sat there as she took in her father’s words. She knew that her parents loved her. In fact, she knew that her mom had always wanted a big family, never really growing up with one of her own. Her father had been the same way, coming away with nothing, but the clothes on his back when he’d first met her mother. The family had always been small._

_“After you were born though, the doctors told your mother that she may never be able to have more kids,” he admitted, a solemn look on his face._

_Slowly, Celine began to understand what was going on. Her mother was sad, having a hard time copping with things. As a result, it seemed to be taking a toll on their marriage. This left Celine at a bit of a loss. Would her mother always be like that?_

_“You guys aren’t getting divorced are you?” Celine asked, a hint of fear in her voice as she asked her father the very question that had been nagging at her for the past three weeks._

_“No baby girl, we’re not getting divorced,” he assured her. “We’re just… We’re just in a bit of a rut right now. That’s all.”_

~xXx~

                “Dad…”

                Jeremy turned his head toward the cage upon hearing the faint moan, pulling himself away from his work as he made his way closer, a cup of water in his hand.

               Again, there was another moan as the woman slowly cracked open her eyes, turning her head to the side. Their eyes seemed to meet for a moment, but he couldn’t be sure whether she was truly seeing him or not. For all he knew, she could be seeing shadows.

               “Where…” she croaked, her mind swimming.

               “It’s alright. You’re safe here in my home,” he assured her, a gentle smile on his face as he sat down in front of the cage, watching her.

               “What,” she swallowed for a moment, slowly pushing herself up from the bed.

               She took a step forward as she breathed out heavily, wavering as she fell, catching hold of the bar at the door of the cage. For a moment, they stared at one another, Jeremy’s hand reaching out through the bars and lightly pressing down on the back of her neck. The feeling itself seemed to ease her for a moment, closing her eyes as she drew in a breath of air.

               “What happened to me?” she whispered, slowly lifting her head to look at him, his hand still on the back of her neck.

               “You were bitten,” he explained, gently running his fingers along the nap of her neck.

               This simple act sent a shiver running down her back, but it didn’t seem to bother her.

               “I found you at the edge of our property three days ago,” he told her. “You had been attacked by a mutt and drug quite a ways into the undergrowth. Luckily, whoever it was must have managed to catch my scent in the rain and decided it was best to leave.”

               For a moment, Jeremy watched her, taking in her features as she processed things. Her long brown hair still seemed to stick to her face, but she was no longer sweating as profusely as she had been two days prior. The right side of her face still seemed to be healing though, the rogue mutt more than likely lashing out in frustration due to Jeremy’s intrusion on the mongrels hunt. With Clay’s help, they had managed to clean it up rather nicely, a large bandage covering most of the right side of her face. From there, he looked into her eyes, searching them for a moment. Most would have been fearful, but instead, there was an air of calm in her eyes as she looked upon him.

               Three days ago, her eyes had seemed a simple grey. Now, they almost reminded him of liquid silver, so rich and pure. He had never seen such eyes on a woman. Then again, he made a habit of not interacting with most people, so he knew not if this was truly a first. Regardless, Jeremy stayed where he was, still running his thumb over the nap of her neck in an attempt to keep her at ease. More times than not, newly bitten wolves earning for a warm touch of another, the warmth soaking into their skin and calming them. Sometimes that simple piece of human contact was the difference between life and death. Besides, without the pack, there was no life worth truly living. As a newly turned, one could not survive for very long on their own, and those that did seemed to lose themselves in the pain which drove them to insanity.

               “Mutt?” she murmured, furrowing her brows in confusion.

               “As I said, you were bitten, and the one responsible shall be punished for their actions,” he told her.

               Suddenly, a wave a dizziness hit her, her hands tightening on the bars. Pain was the next thing that she felt, a cry escaping her as her breath caught, sending her gasping for air.

               “Try not to fight it,” Jeremy said. “If you try to fight against the pain, it will kill you.”

               She could barely hear him as she fell away from the bars, a crack echoing around the room as something in her leg broke and moved, shifting itself to where it shouldn’t have been.

               “Don’t fight it,” Jeremy repeated. “You have to go with the pain,” he said firmly, watching as her eyes began to fill with tears. “What you’re about to experience is a pain among the likes you have never felt before. There will be no stopping it until the transformation is complete.”

               Again, her vision changed and she was seeing through another spectrum of colors, her vision going in and out as she screamed. Quickly, she moved to pull the clothing from her back, pulling it off and throwing it away from herself. She didn’t care if he saw her naked, the item was far too constricting and it tugged at her skin as her back began to shift and pop.

               “Don’t fight it Celine,” Jeremy urged her. “Ride the pain to the finish and you’ll be free.”

               She cried as her lips quivered, her jaw moving and her fingers curling. Her entire body seemed to be moving all at once as the pain overtook her. For a moment, Celine closed her eyes, concentrating on the pain as she tried to push it forward. Her body moved of itself own accord, compensating for the new change as hair began to grow, her back being flattened. She could hear the man’s voice in the background, urging her forward, but keeping his distance.

               Suddenly, everything seemed to stop and she was seeing things in a new light. Blinking her eyes, Celine turned toward the man, a faint whine leaving her as she padded forward. He seemed to be in shock as he stood there, slowly kneeling down until he was resting on his knees. Carefully, he reached his hand forward through the bars, resting it atop her head. Celine let out another whine at this, bowing her head to him as he patted her head. When she glanced up at him, she could make out the beginnings of a smile on his face. This gave her a strange sense of accomplishment which she couldn’t quite explain.

               “You did it,” he whispered, releasing a breath of air that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “You actually did it,” he breathed, slowly running his hand along the side of her head.

               This time, Celine nuzzled her nose against his outstretched palm, enjoying the feeling of it on her fur. She had never felt the way that she did in that moment. Her sense of calm changed though when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the stairs, turning her head as she watched another man enter the room. This one was different, bigger almost as he staggered forward, a look of shock on his face when he saw her.

               “Is she…” he began, unsure how to word what he wanted to say.

               “Yes, Clay, she made it through,” Jeremy smiled, slowly standing from his crouched position.

               He received a whine in response as Celine pawed at the door, whining again in an attempt to get his attention.

               “It’s alright,” Jeremy assured her, walking away for a moment as he grabbed a small basin of water, sliding it under the door for her. “You should drink up, your body will need it,” he told her, before fully turning his attention back to clay. “I think it’s time we start preparing a room for our new friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, that was chapter 2! I hope that everyone liked it as I enjoyed writing it. Please, let me know what you think? I'd love to hear from everyone. Comments always help to keep me writing!


	3. Introduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone has anyone has any music references for me, I'd love to hear them. I like to work with music for inspiration for moods and scenes. That's why this chapter was a little tough to write because I didn't have one.

**To Run With The Rising Sun**

**Chapter 3**

**Introduction**

Light poured in from the window of the cage like cell as Celine lay on the floor, a blanket covering her form as she slept, her chest rising and falling in sweet utter bliss. A pillow lay beneath her head and her bandages had been changed. With her first change, the fever had gone, taking the pain with it. Now, her body was left to heal itself on its own without torment.

~xXx~

Upstairs, Jeremy sat in the living room, his body resting against his grand armchair. After Celine had turned back to her human form late the prior evening, he had taken it upon himself to place a blanket over her. He had made sure that she had ample coverage, not wanting to pull her from her sleep after her first completed change. Instead, he had left her to sleep and regenerate. After the bandages had been taken care of, he had taken it upon himself to assist Clayton in fixing up what was to be her room.

Jeremy had spend a short portion of the evening helping Clay arrange things like the bed and closet, taking a few old pieces of Elena’s clothing, Clayton’s mate, and placing them there for Celine when she awoke. He planned on having new ones purchased for her after the fact, hoping to make her more comfortable. After all, there was nothing better than having your own clothes. Until she could make her way to her room though, Jeremy had accumulated a few pieces of his own clothing, resting them down in the cellar.

The knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. Pushing himself up, he made his way to the door to greet his new arrivals. A smile then made its way as he pulled open the door.

“Nicky. Antonio,” he greeted, pulling each member into a friendly embraces.

The youngest smiled, giving him a pat on the back, making his way inside. He was then followed by his father, the older man rejoicing in the familiar feeling of his friend’s arms.

“I trust you had a pleasant journey?” Jeremy inquired, closing the door behind them as he ushered them into the living area.

“Yes, quite,” Antonio smiled. “Although, my back is a bit sore,” he admitted.

“Stop whining Dad,” Nicky chuckled, coming up behind his father and kneading lightly at his shoulders before moving on.

“You should me nicer to your father Nicky,” Jeremy chided lightly, before replacing himself back into the armchair that he had inhabited just moments prior.

As they settled in, Antonio turned toward his pack mate, his Alpha. They all knew they weren’t there just for a simple visited. Jeremy had called and informed them that a young woman had been bitten. As a result, Antonio had agreed to come back to Stone Haven to help for a few weeks. He was even more shocked when Jeremy explained that she had actually managed to survive the turn and was now resting downstairs in the cellar.

“Can we see her?” Nicky asked, biting at his lower lip for a moment.

Like his father, he too was anxious to see this girl, the one that had survived like Elena had. It was such a rarity and yet they now had two in their life time that had managed to make it through the change. He was desperate to meet his new pack sister as it were.

“Perhaps,” Jeremy nodded, thinking for a moment, before standing from his seat. “I must ask that you remain here though,” he insisted. “I’d rather not scare her with unsuspecting faces when she is most vulnerable.”

“Of course my friend,” Antonio nodded, placing a hand on his sons shoulder. “In fact, why don’t we get some food started. After all, she’ll most likely be hungry.”

With that, father and son went to the kitchen, while Jeremy made his way downstairs in hopes of rousing their new companion.

~xXx~

Tap. Tap. Tap. That was the only thing that was heard as a faint murmur left Celine’s lips. Laying there, she kept her eyes closed, listening as the sound of what would be dress shoes met the stairs. She wasn’t sure how she knew they were dress shoes, but she did, the sound light and supple. Still, she lay there as the sound drew closer before it was level to the concrete floor, slowly making its way toward her. She assumed that it was one of the two men, but she still wasn’t sure who they were. All she knew was that she’d been there in that cage for several day, the need to stretch her limbs and run driving her crazy.

Next came the shuffle of cloth. Clothing perhaps? She wasn’t sure. For all she knew, they had curtains somewhere. Yet as she continued to think on it, the footsteps came to stop in front of her. The cage remained closed, but that didn’t seem to bother her.

“I know that you’re awake.”

The sound of the man’s voice was smooth to her sensitive ears, slowly opening up her eyes and looking upon him. She found herself pursing her lips for a moment, slowly sitting up, blushing lightly as she held the blanket against her front. The man in front of her just smiled, but it didn’t seem to a result of her bare form. Instead, the gesture seemed friendly and welcoming. His smile put her at ease for the moment, allowing her to look him over for herself.

Trailing her eyes across his face, she found it to be of strong build. His nose was angular and of decent size, but not too big. His lips were full and pink, the nature color standing out among the facial hair that adorned his face. His beard itself was neatly trimmed and kept short, hinting at red almost. As she traveled back up, Celine caught his eyes. They reminded her of a cool winter frost, the blue captivating her as she stared. She’d never seen such eyes. As she sat there though, that thought stopped her. She had seen eyes like that before, but at the moment, she could seem to pin point where.

“I realize that you must have many questions, Ms. Hamilton,” he said, catching her attention.

She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as his eyes seemed to steal her for a moment.

“I promise that I will answer any that you may have, but in return, I ask that you try to keep an open mind and take things one step at a time.”

Nodded her head slowly, she swallowed the lump in her throat, drawing the blanket just a bit closer to her chest as she watched him.

“My name is Jeremy Danvers and this is my home,” he told her. “I came across you several night ago and-”

He was cut off by Celine speaking up, a look of confusion on her face as his name hit her.

“You said Danvers.”

“Yes,” Jeremy nodded, his brows furrowing for just a moment.

“Then this place is Stone Haven,” she surmised, blinking as she looked around.

“Well, yes,” he nodded, unsure of where their conversation was now headed.

“When I was younger, kids would tell stories about old man Malcolm. How he’d snatch children that got too close to Stone Haven and eat them alive,” she told him, earning a chuckle in return.

“Yes, my father was a rather monstrous man I’ll admit, but tales such as that are exactly that, tales,” he assured her. “In fact, my father died several months ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said quietly, straightening her back for a moment.

“I’m sure. Though, that is not the reason I’m here,” he told her. “As I said, I found you several nights ago among the heated head of a storm. You been attacked and bitten by a-”

“Mutt,” she filled in, remembering him mentioning that at some point when she had been a bit lucid.

“Yes,” he nodded, keeping his patience in place. “Once bitten, you became one of us.”

~xXx~

After a while of talking and a good amount of pacing that Jeremy was sure had worn away at the top layer of the floor, he found that Celine had become fairly quiet. He knew how much of a shock all of the information that he had divulged must have been. After all, it wasn’t everyday that one was turned into a werewolf, something that for most people belonged only in books and on the big screen. Truly, it was something other worldly and not a lot of people came to except it. That’s why the chance of suicide was so high for most after the first change. Most couldn’t live with the knowledge of something that was so inhuman running through them.

In the end, Jeremy found himself standing at the front of the cage, hands on the bars. He merely prayed that she would come to except things, for it was far too rare. She was a rare beauty among wolves, something so unattainable, that she was only one of two in existence. He didn’t want to have to see that life ended, snuffed out of existence as though it had never come to be in the first place.

“I know that it’s a lot to take in, but I’d like to help if you’ll let me,” he spoke softly, watching as she turned toward him, biting her lip.

Slowly, she padded toward him, a little unsure of what to do. She nodded her head, finding the door being pried open a moment later.

“Come,” he said, gesturing her forward, his arms open for her.

It took her a moment, but after swallowing her pride she stepped forward, allowing his arms to envelop her in an embrace. As they stood there, Jeremy smiled, bringing his hands up around her neck and pressing his lips to the top of her head.

Once she was dressed, Jeremy led her upstairs, a hand rest at the small of her back as he followed. He wanted to make sure that she didn’t fall after being confined for so long without being allowed to truly walk around.

“Now, I have a few people that I’d like you to meet,” Jeremy informed her. “They are members of the pack, like you are now.”

Stepping into the kitchen with her he caught Antonio’s attention, calling him forward. Nick on the other hand was no where to be seen, possibly stepping out for a moment to do something.

“Celine, this is Antonio Sorrentino, a very good friend of my,” Jeremy said as he introduced the two of them.

Gently, Antonio took Celine’s hand in his own, brushing his thumb against it.

“Piacere di conoscerla mia cara,” he said, before bringing the back of her hand to his lips and kissing it.

“Um, nice to meet you too?” she said, a little unsure of herself.

The two men laughed for a moment, finding her awkwardness at the matter rather funny, before turning their eyes toward the doorway.

“You know, you may actually want to use English,” came the faint scoff of another.

Quietly, Celine turned her head. She took a step closer to Jeremy, almost standing against him at this point, but he didn’t seem to mind. In front of her was a rather well build man. He had a rough exterior to him that made her wary, his features sharp and well defined. Like Jeremy, he also had a beard, though seeming a bit darker in color. It too was kept cleanly trim. His brown eyes held her as he stared at her, looking her up and before raising a brow in question.

“I see you found something for her to wear then,” he concluded, glancing at Jeremy for a moment.

“Yes. My clothes may not be the most ideal, but given the circumstances.”

Jeremy left off with that statement as Celine felt her cheeks heat up a bit. Initially she had only assumed they were his clothing, but now the matter had actually been confirmed.

“Gotta wear something, right?” she laughed nervously, rubbing her arm as she stood there.

“Celine,” Jeremy began, gently resting his hand against the small of her back as he guided her forward slightly. “I’d like to introduce you to Clayton, my son.”

At the mention of this man being his son, Celine’s eyes went wide. Clay could possibly be Jeremy’s son. The man looked far too young to have a son Clay’s age. Trying to put two and two together, she seemed to come up with seven instead of four. It just wasn’t clicking in her head. Jeremy seemed to sense the confusion brewing inside of her and corrected his statement.

“That’s what we’ve told people for many years.”

Celine let out a breath of air as he said this.

“I see him as the son I never had and I’m very proud of him,” he told her. “In fact, Clay here has a PhD in Anthropology and teaches at university,” he smiled.

“That’s…amazing,” she breathed out.

“I’m gonna go for a run,” Clay suddenly announced, not feeling like sticking around while Jeremy went about explaining things to the woman.

Before anyone could really say much, he had left the room, the sound of the front door being heard as he left the house.

“Did I say something wrong?” Celine frowned, a little put off by Clay’s introduction and announcement.

“I wouldn’t worry about it dear,” Antonio told her. “He’s always like that unfortunately.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, that was chapter 3 everyone. As said at the top, I'm looking for music references if anyone has any ideas? Let me know guys! Also, number for is in the works, I was just too lazy to put this one up yesterday is all. If you guys are lucky, chapter 4 will likely be up this evening.


	4. The Art of the Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Inspiration: Art of the Soul by Anna Nalick

**To Run With The Rising Sun**

**Chapter 4**

**The Art of The Soul**

     Another day had passed and Celine had found both her mind and body wandering. She finally knew that Jeremy had been the one to find her, having gone out on a run while simultaneously checking the perimeter of the Stone Haven property for any disturbances. Apparently, he had heard the attack, his ears picking up on her heartbeat along with the smell of the mutt that had attacked her. He’d found her laying there on the cold hard forest floor, her body soaking wet from the rain and blood flowing from her leg and shoulder, her body shaking from the pain. It was the night that everything changed.

     Pausing in her thoughts, Celine thought back to Jeremy again. His scent had filled the room down in the cellar, meaning that he had been there with her nearly the entire time that she had been there. He had watched over her when he had no obligation to do so. He’d guided her through the change, comforting her where he could. He’d even embraced her in his arms after releasing her from her ‘prison’, holding her close regardless of her bare form and then offered her some of his clothes. His arms, they’d been so warm, a feeling of safety swelling inside of her. She had felt like curling up against him and falling asleep, sleeping right there in his arms.

     Shaking her head, she ran her hand through her hair. Looking down, she glanced at her attire. She still had a pair of Jeremy’s pants on, having rolled the black material up, inevitably turning them into what would resemble capris. A black belt also adorned her waist, keeping the pants in place. No one in the house really had anything small enough for her to wear, so she decided to remain with the pants that had been lent out to her, not wanting to dawn a dress at the moment. She much preferred pants to dresses and skirts. As far as the shirt, it was also Jeremy’s. She had decided to just keep it on, the smell seeming to comfort her in her thoughts. Once she got her things back, she planned on returning both the pants and shirt. Although, a small part of her didn’t want to give the shirt back. For some reason, the scent was just too damn enticing.

     Pushing herself forward, Celine walked through the house, taking in what she could. Everywhere she turned she would find a ‘relic’ on a platform, the items decorating the house and adding to the décor. There was a large sculpture at the front of the foyer when entering the house. She’d been informed that the creature carved into it was that of a wolf, the piece rising high with the staircase. In a way, it made the space seem a bit larger than it was as it stretched high above.

     Celine’s eyes trailed to the staircase next, truly taking it in for the first time as it pulled her forward. The polished wood of the stairs shone back at her as she let her feet guide her upward. She gripped the railing slightly, feeling the firmness beneath her hand. Old artwork lined the wall to her left, turning and halting at the stained glass window. The window was gorgeous, but simple with its blocked colors of red and blues. Other than for simplistic beauty, it seemed to hold no real purpose. She pushed that to the side though as she continued her way up the stairs, her fingers trailing once again along the wood of the walls, feeling the smoothness of the adorning panels. She wasn’t really sure what to do with herself as she continued to wander, momentarily heeding Jeremy’s advice of staying inside of the house. Even though every single part of her seemed to be screaming inside to run.

     She could picture herself running outside, the sun on her face as she left the confines of where she’d been held. She’d been there in the dark for several days, most of the light having been blocked out due to the structure of the stone windows down in the cellar where she’d initially been kept.

     Stepping toward the end of one of the halls, she found one of the doors had been left unattended, the crack in the doorway pulling her closer. She knew that she shouldn’t bother it, but she couldn’t help it, her hand pressing lightly against the doorway. She winced as it creaked, frowning for a moment. Drawing a breath of air she drew her feet forward and allowed herself to slide inside. Celine was shocked when she entered the room, staring at the walls of white.

     Photos lined the walls with sunsets. Misty skies stood before her, followed by stormy grey skies, and tree lines rose high. Bowls and cups littered the tables pressed against the walls, acting as a storage place, all of which needed thoroughly cleaned due to the large collection. One can only paint with so many bowls and cups before becoming overwhelmed by them. There was also a large amount of paint sealants and gessoes, containers being stacked upon themselves to help save on space. She even noticed a few wine bottles laying around.

     She walked over to another wall, crouching down as she found a painting leaned up against it. She was at a loss for words as she let her hand trail over the piece, her eyes taking in the colors and strokes. It looked like the calm night before the storm, the sun ready to disappear at any moment. In a way, it was sort of impressionistic, abstracted to a degree.

     For years, Celine had tried to achieve the look of this approach to the fullest, but always seemed to fail miserably. She could never seem to let go enough to perform properly, always catching herself smoothing the edges over with her fingertips instead of leaving things as they were to begin with. It was a habit that she had and couldn’t seem to break away from. Then again, that’s just how she was. In her work she liked to blend things. Layering and blending was a large part of the process in any of her works of art. She lived for the building up of colors, slowly bringing everything to the surface. That was her system. Lay down color where it needed to be, smooth the surrounding area to lighten the application of the paint, and then mold it to the desired effect. Next, she would start with the darker colors, placing them in their appropriate places while pulling parts back and applying a lighter hue. She would repeat this process over and over again until she felt she was done, before going back and leaving a light rim around things for reflective lighting.

     There were so many aspects to painting that went unseen in the everyday world. Celine had always known that, which is why she always tried so hard in her work. It was a determination that her parents always appreciated, but at the same time, never fully seemed to understand.

     “I see that you’ve managed to stumble across my studio.”

     The sudden voice caused her to jump and in an instant, Celine was spinning around, finding herself caught off guard as she found Jeremy standing there.

     “I’m sorry, I-”

     She was cut off as he rose his hand, signaling the end of her frantic explanation.

     “It’s alright,” he assured her. “No harm done.”

     Slowly, he strode forward, coming to stand behind her. He had his arms folded over his chest as he stood there, seeming to take in the painting for himself for a minute, before turning to look down at her.

     “What do you think?” he asked, glancing down, then back at the painting.

     Celine paused for a moment as she sat on her butt, sucking in her upper lip as she stared. He had asked for her opinion. _Her_ opinion. Why did he want her opinion of all people? After all, its not like she had really told him about her background or anything.

     “Well,” she started, pausing again to find a response. “Its definitely good.”

     “Good?” he asked, raising a brow in question. “Hopefully, that’s not all that you’ve come to find?” he surmised.

     “No,” she shook her head. “You’ve got a good eye for detail, I’ll give you that.”

     She turned back to the painting, eyes drifting over the horizon and toward the peek of the sun. it was like she could really see it, even with the abstraction. She could understand it. The ebb and flow of the sky line and clouds, the silver lining that always followed; she could see it all.

     “You were generous in your applications as well, but not overly so as the depiction still shines through,” she paused again. “You favor the half inch for a majority, using a fan brush every now and then to soften the look slightly, but only just.”

     Looking over, Celine found a faint smile adorning his lips, looking as though he were trying to contain a smirk at the borders of his features. He seemed to find her conclusion more acceptable than the first one she had given. Granted, the first analysis was shottie at best and deliberately placed just to get a reaction out of him.

     “I didn’t realize you were an artist,” she confessed, leaning back on her hands.

     She felt herself knock against his knees, stilling her movements as she did so. She hadn’t meant for the contact, but as per usual he didn’t seem to be bothered by it. Turning her head she surveyed the room again, large jars of paint lining a couple of shelves by the windows consisting of primary colors. Taking in this small piece of information, she concluded that outside of white and maybe a tiny bit of black here and there, it was all that he used. She too made use of the primary three, but still found herself using a few of the premixed cop outs. She knew that a real professional didn’t rely on premixed paints, instead, starting from scratch and creating their own.

     “You’re more experienced than I am,” she admitted, turning her eyes back to the subject in front of her.

     “Come again?”

     His voice was attentive, his attention having been grabbed as he assessed her words for himself. She had said that he was more experienced than her.

     “You paint?” he inquired, giving her a once over with his eyes.

     “I do,” she nodded, confirming his thoughts.

     “I’d like to see that some time.”

     Releasing a sigh, Celine glanced up at him, feeling inferior. She didn’t know why he’d want to waste his time looking at her stuff. After all, they were on two completely different levels. Not to mention, she had no doubt he’d been painting for far longer than she had.

     “You wouldn’t like it,” she told him, pushing herself up from the floor in order to stand. “Besides, what I do have is at the inn.”

     Suddenly, realization had kicked in. she hadn’t checked back in with the clerk after leaving. No doubt, someone had noticed that she hadn’t returned and was still waiting to pick up a slightly larger piece that had fallen from the cart after arriving at the train station the first day. She had momentarily remember that Kelly had made a comment about stopping by as well, more than likely flipping out when she hadn’t answered.

     “Something is wrong,” he stated, taking in the expression on Celine’s face.

     “My stuff is still at the inn,” she groaned.

~xXx~

     Pacing back and forth, Celine chewed at one of her nails. This was awkward as hell for her as she stood outside of the inn. She’d lost her key in the attack that night and had no clue as to how to explain herself to the inn keeper. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t afford the replacement fee, but she didn’t know what to tell the man. Behind her, she heard Nick clear his throat. Jeremy had asked him to accompany her in order to pick up her things.

     “We going in yet?” Nick chuckled, raising a brow in question as he stepped forward.

     Still unsure of herself, Celine swallowed the lump in her throat.

     “What am I going to tell him?” she asked, turning to look at him.

     The young Sorrentino stood several inches taller than she, a smile on his face as he fixed his jacket, before moving to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

     “Just leave it to me, alright?” he smiled, before leading her toward the office.

     Once inside, he went straight for the desk, Celine following along side of him. From there, he went through with explaining to the man that they had gone to the bar several nights ago for a drink. They’d celebrating having her home and some how ended up running into an angry ex thinking that Nick was now her boyfriend. The man behind the desk gave a sigh when Nick told him that it had just been a misunderstanding, but still managed to get into a fight and her purse had been sent flying upon trying to break the two men up. As a result, her things had fallen out and the key misplaced.

     Giving the two a once over, the man sighed, before pulling a spare from a drawer beneath the desk. He told them to return it after they were finished and that another would be made later in the day. Before Celine could say anything though, Nick explained to the man that she would be checking out and staying with friends, paying for the replacement key as he turned and escorted her outside toward her room.

     “How in the world?” she breathed out, trying to figure out where in the hell he’d managed to come up with all of that in mere seconds.

     He merely told her that he was used to such things, considering that his father was the pack Beta, normally clearing up any discrepancies whenever they’d run into an unexpected travesty.

     “Alrighty then,” she muttered.

~xXx~

     Shoving his hands in his pockets, Nick walked behind Celine, watching her as she unlocked the door to her room. He followed her inside, closing the door behind them as she walked over to the bed. She had painting supplies lying around, a canvas sitting on a small foldable easel. As he glanced around, he couldn’t help, but to be reminded of his Alpha. She obviously loved to paint, having brought all of her materials with her on what was supposed to have been a short visit.

     In fact, Nick felt sorry for here. Were he had been born into such a life, Celine had been bitten. She hadn’t meant to be a part of their world, initially living a fairly normal life. Now, she’d have to endure the pain of the change, learning to live a completely different life. She wouldn’t be able to go home, wouldn’t be able to walk around normal without looking over her shoulder. The life of the pack was a commitment that meant the difference between life and death. In fact, he’d been surprised when no one had seemed to come after Elena after the turn. If possible, there were many that would seek out a female werewolf with the home of starting a new generation. In fact, that’s why they were so careful with things.

     Looking on, Nick found her packing her bag, pulling her clothes from the dresser draw. No doubt, she had originally planned on staying a couple of weeks. That was no longer the case though. She would pack her things and leave this world behind her, much like Elena had in the beginning, slowly packing up her life. No doubt, they’d have to make a trip to wherever she had come from, bringing her things back to Stone Haven.

     “You okay principessa?” Nick asked, speaking a word of Italian out of habit as he watched her hesitate for a moment.

     “Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied, her voice soft and quiet.

     He watched as she closed her suitcase, her fingers hovering over it as she took in a breath of air. She then moved around him, kneeling down pick up random tubes of paint that she’d left on the floor that night. There were tubes of red, blue, and purple. Even a heavy body white. She had all sorts of paint that he’d never bothered to look at before whenever at Stone Haven looking around at Jeremy’s studio. He liked the art, but he wasn’t really the artistic type like Celine or his Alpha. He left those fields of study to the professionals, sticking to reading inside or flirting with the occasional woman.

     “Need some help?” he offered, tilting his head to the side as he watched her.

     She paused for a moment, looking up at him before giving a faint nod. She gestured toward a small stack of paintings lays propped up against the wall by the door. Understanding immediately, he went over and grabbed them, taking them outside as he went to the car.

     “This is gonna take awhile,” he sighed.


	5. Not Alone

**To Run With The Rising Sun**

**Chapter 5**

**Not Alone**

Looking down at her phone, Celine let out a sigh. She’d been in Bear Valley for nearly a week and a half now. What would be her initial visit coming to an end. All of that had changed though as things flowed through her head. She didn’t know if she could deal with everything on her own.

The last couple days, everyone seemed to be giving Celine her space, slowly letting her adjust to things. That was the problem though. The longer she was left by herself, the more her thoughts seemed to plague her mind with questions and fear. How was she supposed to get anywhere in life if she was made to stay at Stone Haven? She wouldn’t be able to work or anything like that. Her life before would vanish before her eyes becoming lost forever and she wasn’t sure if she could live with that.

Pushing herself up from what was her bed, Celine scrolled through her call list, finger hovering over the call button before sucking in a breath of air and pressing it. She brought the phone to her ear, listening as it started to ring. Once. Twice. Thrice. Fo-.

_“Celine, where the hell have you been!?”_ her roommate screamed in her ear causing her to wince.

“Hi, Helen,” she greeted meekly.

_“What the hell is wrong with you!”_ the woman yelled. _“You were supposed to call me when you got settled in you idiot!”_

Celine sighed as she listened to her friend rant and rave, taking her time in ripping her a new one. She had expected this to happen. It wasn’t her fault though, but it wasn’t like she could actually tell her the truth about things. If she did, Jeremy would kill her. Well, both of them anyway. Besides, she wouldn’t believe her if she tried.

“Listen, I-”

_“No, you don’t get to speak!”_ Helen yelled, cutting her off before she could speak. _“I’ve been sitting here on my hand for almost two weeks worrying about your ass and you didn’t even have the decency to call me!”_

“Helen-”

_“You promised to keep in touch and you flat out lied to me! Does our friendship mean nothing to you Cel? I mean seriously, I’ve called I don’t know how many times and you never bothered to pick up the damn phone!”_

Celine drew in a breath as she rubbed the side of her face, slowly moving from her room and closing the door behind her. As Helen continued to yell, she found her feet taking her downstairs and outside the back door into the yard. She could feel the grass beneath her feet as her body began to ache. Her chest tightened as she stood there, lightly gripping at her shirt, Helen still yelling in her ear.

_“Are you even listening to me?”_ Helen snapped, no doubt trying to send a glare through the phone in an attempt to smack the poor girl.

“Yes, Helen, I’m listening,” she replied.

_“Good because when you get home, your ass has had it!”_ she screeched.

“Look, about that,” she started, trying to rack her brain on what to say. “Something came up and I won’t be home for a while.”

_“Wait. What?”_

“While in town, I think I may have found a possible buyer,” she lied, biting down on her lip.

_“A buyer? Really?”_

She could tell that Helen was skeptical. She had every right to be. After all, it’s not like Celine had brought any of her major pieces with her. At least nothing that was sufficiently decent anyway.

_“And how did you come across this potential buyer?”_ Helen questioned, deciding to pester her for information.

“You know, the usual,” she chuckled. “Running around town and getting myself into trouble.”

Helen didn’t seem to find her words funny though, hearing a scoff through the phone. Normally, Helen could tell when she was lying. After all, they’d lived together for the last five years. Of course she’d be able to tell.

_“Cel, I swear, if you’re lying to me…”_

“No, of course not,” she laughed nervously, waving a hand around in front of herself.

_“You know, whatever,”_ Helen suddenly announced _. “I’ve gotta go before I’m late for work, but you better bet your ass we’re gonna stay in contact.”_

With that, Helen hung up the phone, a sigh escaping Celine as she stood there. A moment later, she threw the phone across the lawn, slowly sinking to her knees as she held her head in her hands.

~xXx~

Upon hearing feet on the stairs, Clayton had perked up, carefully concentrating on his senses. He could hear the footsteps in the hall, on the stairs. He could hear voices, one seeming farther away as though coming through a phone. Before he could stop himself, his found his eyes narrowing slightly, quietly following the woman outside. As he went, he continued to listen, going out a different exit so that she wouldn’t see him.

Clay could hear the sound of a woman yelling. He could also hear the sound of Celine’s heart pounding away in her chest painfully as she continued to listen to the verbal assault that she was being dealt. He was actually surprised that she didn’t mention where she was staying, who she had met or what was going on in general. She seemed to be holding her breath instead of speaking.

_“Are you even listening to me?”_

The voice was shrill and piercing. Again, Celine’s heartbeat picked up, heart pounding in her ears as her nerves pushed it further.

“Something came up and I won’t be home for a while.”

Clay listened carefully, ready to jump out and snatch the phone at any moment if need be. They couldn’t take any chances that might lead someone to the truth. He couldn’t allow her to slip, otherwise, they’d all be in danger.

“While in town, I think I may have found a possible buyer.”

Clay let out a sigh a he heard this. She was lying for them. Celine was lying in order to keep everyone safe, she was upholding the honor of the pack. Maybe she’d make a decent werewolf yet, he surmised. Turning his head, he looked out at the property, standing off to the side of the house so she couldn’t see him. A minute or two later though he heard the end of the conversation and then the phone was sent sailing across the lawn. He took this as his cue to approach, deciding it was his place to help her after keeping her promise.

~xXx~

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Her skin was becoming hot and painful as she set there trying to get her breathing under control. It was as though something had been triggered and her hands began to shake. Suddenly, her head snapped to the side, finding Clay approaching her. She eyed him as he made his way closer, his hands up in front of him signaling that he meant no harm.

“Easy now,” he murmured, slowing his steps as he crept closer.

He was in front of her after that, looking her over as she continued to shake, pain radiating through her.

“Don’t fight it,” he told her, already seeming to know what the problem was. “Go with the pain.”

_"If you try to fight against the pain, it will kill you."_

Celine closed her eyes as she felt her eye beginning to swell with tears. She was afraid. The pain; she didn’t want to feel that pain. She didn’t want to feel that momentary darkness.

_"You have to go with the pain."_

She whimpered as she felt her shoulder begin to shift, her arm being pulled from its socket with a pop. She could feel it coming.

“Try not to breathe through it,” she could hear Clay telling her, a gasp escaping her as she let out a cry, quickly grasping to pull her shirt from her back.

She held it there in her arms as she pressed her face to the ground, tears flowing from her eyes as her spine started to pop, slowly rearranging itself. She made quick work in pushing her pants from her hips, not bothering with her underwear, her bra already on the ground with her shirt as she cried out.

_"What you're about to experience is a pain among the likes you have never felt before.”_

She could hear Jeremy’s voice in her head.

_“There will be no stopping it until the transformation is complete.”_

Again, she cried out as a stab of pain shot through her body, sending her back onto her hands and knees.

“You’re gonna be alright darlin’,” Clay told her. “You’re not alone.”

_"Don't fight it Celine."_

She could feel her legs changing, her jaw shifting. Her hands splayed out on the ground as claws came forward, her hands forming padded feet, and something protruding from her tailbone.

_"Ride the pain to the finish and you'll be free."_

The voice came to her as a whisper as fur warmed her skin and a howl erupted from her chest. She had finally made it, shaking her body to rid herself of the sensation.

“Not bad for your second time.”

Turning her head, she blinked, craning her head to look up at Clay. His hand came forward, ruffling her fur slightly as she whined. She closed her eyes in contentment as she nuzzled the masculine hand, quietly begging with a whine for him to continue.

“You never want to hold all of that inside of you,” he explained. “If you’re in pain, you can always change.”

Whining, she nipped lightly at the skin of his hand, tail waging in a playful manner. She’d been in the house for far too long with nothing to do. She wanted to be able to roam around freely.

“What?” he asked, raising a brow in question. “You wanna go for a run?”

Celine barked in reply, a strange feeling running through her as she did so. Is that what it was like, to talk as a wolf?

“Alright,” Clay nodded. “I could use a run anyway.”

With that, he pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it down on the ground. He then went to remove his pants, watching her as he did so. In response, Celine laid down, bringing her paws forward to rack over her snout in an attempt to cover her eyes in embarrassment. Clay didn’t seem to care though, taking it in stride as he smirked.

“Don’t worry darlin’, you’ll get used to it.”

After that, Celine watched as he hunched over, hanging his head for a moment. Cracking followed as she watched him grip the ground, a growl accompanying him as he rode through the change with ease. No doubt, he’d been doing this for years and had become accustomed to it.

Before she knew it, Clay was standing in front of her, covered in thick warm brown fur from head to toe. His brown eyes staring back into steely ones. It was as if he understood her in that moment, striding forward and pressing his nose to her neck as he nudged it. He could smell the uncertainty within her as she tried to keep in control of herself. Nudging her once more, he turned and began heading toward the northern perimeter of the property, knowing that they’d be safe there. He stopped though went he found she wasn’t following, giving a curt bark before she finally began running behind him.

~xXx~

Celine couldn’t remember the last time that she had felt so good. With the wind in her fur she felt alive, free even. It was such an otherworldly feel as she ran with Clay, him nipping at her heels every now and then in a playful manner.

Thinking back on things, Celine could almost understand the appeal of the change. The feeling of the freedom that it gave after the fact was just amazing. She could feel everything around her: the sun, the grass, the chill of the air, the living resonance of the ground beneath her paws. She found herself hearing the birds above their heads, the squirrels in the trees as they ran in circles around the trunk, she could hear the creaking in the bark as the branches swayed from the breeze itself. Everything around her seemed to hum and buzz with life. All of this was now a part of her.

Slowing down, Celine placed her nose to the ground, sniffing. There was a scent there, something familiar, but distant almost. In a way, it reminded her of that night five years ago. Sniffing again, she whined, backing away and laying down. The smell was so strong.

_“Give me what you’ve got!”_

She whined, pawing at her snout. She tried pushing the smell away. It was too familiar to her for her own liking, mocking her.

_“Hurry up!”_

She growled faintly, black lips flaring as she stared at the spot. There was a faint imprint in the ground from an empty shell casing.

_“Now!”_

Suddenly, there was a sound of a gunshot, her eyes searching frantically for Clay as she backed away. She yipped, calling out to him, but found no reply. Her eyes roamed the area, before turning around and running, fear overwhelming her as she followed their scents back to the house. Even after making her way back across the lawn, there was still no sign of Clay.

Frantic, Celine run toward the back door, pawing and whining. She let out a bark or two before it finally opened, revealing Jeremy. He spared no time in ushering her inside, quickly grabbing her clothes from the ground and closing the door behind them.

~XxX~

The moment that Jeremy heard the gunshot, he became alert, placing the papers he’d been looking at down on the desk in front of him. He’d been in the cellar attempting research into the mutt that may have bitten Celine as he intended to find him and punish him. Such incidences could not go unattended, otherwise, others would start seeing in as an unfit Alpha. They would want to challenge him for the right to Alpha as they so often did, but it would be worse. Mutts in particular could waltz up, thinking they could redeem themselves by taking him down in a fight. The thought itself irked him as he had too much to protect. Pushing that to the side though, he made his way upstairs, closing and locking the cellar door behind him. He then made his way to the back where he heard whining, brows furrowing as paws scratched at the door frantically. He knew that it couldn’t be Clay because Clay would have changed already or merely hidden from sight until it was safe.

“Celine,” he breathed out, tearing open the back door and watching as the young she wolf ran passed him and made a bee line for the living room.

Looking around for a moment, Jeremy found her clothes, grabbing them up in his arms and closing the door behind him. He made his way toward the living room, finding her vigorously walking around in circles in an attempt to calm herself. It was like she was still in a panic.

“Celine,” he called out.

His voice fell on deaf ears though as he walked further into the living room, closely watching her as she kept walking around, her tail down. Something was bothering her and it wasn’t just the mishap outside. He knew that hunters would come onto their property from time to time, which is why he strictly told those of the pack to stay on the northern side of the property. With that in mind, he knew that he would have to talk to Clay about the matter and find out what had happened.

“Celine, come,” he ordered, patting his leg.

Again, she ignored him, sending a wave of frustration through him. At the same time, he knew that he had to be patient with her as she was still newly turned, not yet coming to understand everything or the moral rules of respect that came with being a wolf of the pack. Although, when he asked someone to come to him, he expected them to respond to his order. After all, he was Alpha.

“Come,” he said firmly, pointing to the floor in front of him.

This time, he got a grumble of sorts, watching her frustration boiling to the edge.

“I said, come,” he told her, an air of warning riding on his voice as he gave her a level look.

Finally seeming to heed his word, she made her way toward him. It was when she made to move passed him though that he’d finally had enough, grabbing hold of the back of her neck and pulling. She let out a yelp as he did this, stopping her movements as he pulled upward, making her rise to her back legs.

“Now, I’m going to move and I expect you to follow,” he told her, earning a whine. “Do we have an understanding?” he asked, pulling roughly on her fur.

Celine had to bite back a snarl as he did this, but refrained, not wanting to irritate him further. This time, Celine followed him, though he still kept a hand on the back of her neck. When he got to his chair, he sat down, staring at her all the while.

“Now, sit,” he ordered, watching as she remained standing. “Sit.”

This time, she complied, slowly lowering her back end to the floor as she sat. A whine escaped her as she looked up at him. She was stuck in this form for the time being with nowhere to go.

“Good girl.”

This time, he reached his hand forward, placing it on top of her head. It was a comforting gesture, even if she was annoyed at him for pulling on her scruff moments before. She’d wanted to snap at him in her wolf form. Slowly, each of them had been teaching her about the rules and codes of the pack, but she was still learning. Usually, Antonio would be working with her a bit more, but apparently, he’d had to make a trip back out of town to supervise things. Nick, he had gone a few towns over to check into things which left only Clay and Jeremy. The latter of the two taking over in that department.

“You’re going to need to learn to control yourself more,” he told her, running his hand through her fur. “I’d rather not run into trouble because you can’t do so.”

Hearing this, Celine let out a whine, lowering her head.

“I’m sorry,” she heard him sigh, feeling him lift her head to look at him. “I realize how hard this must be for you,” he told her. “Coming into this world with absolutely no say. Its not something one can get used to within just a few days.”

Celine huffed then whined, laying her head at his feet. She didn’t want to make anyone angry with her, but it was so hard to control things.

“I promise you, in time, things will get better.”

_Things will get better._

_Things will get better._

_Things will get better._

**Hi Everyone! I just wanted to apologize for the long wait. I have several more chapters updated on another site, but it completely left my mind that I needed to go back and update here? I hope you guys can forgive me? Please enjoy and let me know what you think? Thanks everyone!** _  
_


	6. Cute Pest

**To Run With The Rising Sun**

**Chapter 6**

**Cute Pest**

The days continued to pass by as Celine copped with the changes in her life. Each day, she’d find herself digging up another lie as to why she wasn’t coming home. Each day, Helen grew more suspicious. As Celine watched Clay and Nick sparring, her thoughts continued to go back and forth.

~xXx~

_Standing outside, Celine ran a hand through her hair, scratching lightly at her scalp for a moment. Her skin had begun itching every now and then making her wonder if she’d managed to catch hold of some poison ivy or something. As a kid, the malicious plants would torment her skin, leaving her crying to her parents when she’d managed to scratch gaping holes in her skin. Sometimes, they’d almost been as bad as when she’d acquired the chicken pox at the age of five._

_“When are you coming home?” Helen asked through the phone._

_Celine could tell that her friend was beginning to grow wary at her absence. Unfortunately, she had no clue on how to comfort her. After all, there was no way that she could leave Stone Haven, at least that’s what the pack had told her. She still wasn’t in full control and she knew that if something happened, then she might accidentally hurt someone. She didn’t want that for herself or for her friend, so she continued to stay._

_“I…I don’t know,” Celine sighed._

_It was getting hard to lie._

_“Celine,” Helen groaned. “You’ve been there for over a month now. How long is this going to take?”_

_Biting her lip, Celine racked her brain._

_“I told you, I don’t know. They’ve been going back and forth with me here about commission ranges,” she explained. “I mean, you have abstract and realism, even color scheme for mood,” she spoke, closing her eyes as she knelt down in the grass. “They just can’t decide on what they want.”_

_“Well, tell them to hurry up. I want my friend back,” Helen told her._

_Celine allowed herself to fall back onto her back, staring up at the clouds in the sky. She was growing tired._

_“I miss you too Hel,” she sighed._

_Glancing up at the house, she could see Jeremy peering out from one of the windows, his eyes ever the watchful blue as they stared back at her. It was like he was trying to make sure that she wasn’t spilling their secrets or something, that he was making sure she was abiding by the rules of the pack._

_“Just, please, come home?” Helen begged._

_Come home. That’s all her friend had asked of her. Just come home._

~xXx~

               “Heads up!”

Looking up, Celine gapped for a moment, before rolling out of the way. Narrowly avoided being squashed by Nick as Clay threw him across the yard.

“Are you guys trying to kill me!” she snapped, narrowing her eyes at the two of them.

Nick just had a lopsided grin on his face as he pushed himself into a sitting position and looked back at her.

“Why don’t you join us then?” he asked. “Put us in our place?”

“Seriously?” she scoffed, looking between the two for a moment.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun,” Nick grinned, slowly pushing himself up off of the ground. “After all, I know that Jeremy’s been having Clay teach you.”

She looked at him pointedly for a moment. It was like he was trying to egg her on or something. Truthfully, Celine wasn’t much of one for fighting. Nick obviously didn’t seem to understand that though, pushing her fairly passive nature to the side.

“I mean, unless you’re scared to get your cute little ass beat.”

That was it. Seconds later, Celine was in front of him, her temper flaring a bit more than usual due to her wolf. She threw her hand out, aiming for the side of his neck with the side of her flattened palm. He side stepped though, ducking his head as he went.

“Come on, you can do better than that.”

She leapt forward, catching him off guard with her new found speed. Her body turned like a top as her leg was flung out into a hard hitting round house kick, followed by Nick’s block as his arms flew up in defense, the force of it pushing him back a couple of inches. The moment he grabbed her ankle, she flipped around, spinning and throwing her other leg up at him as her hand hit the ground.

“Nice try,” he laughed, eyes going wide a moment later when Celine brought herself up in a rush, head colliding with his nose.

Quickly, she was on her feet again, leg flying below his before her could blink.

“You were saying?” she smirked, foot pressed firmly against Nick’s throat.

~xXx~

Staring out the window, Jeremy stood with his arms crossed. He leaned against the windowpane as he watched the fight below, Clay standing to the side as Nick and Celine spared with one another. So far, Nick had placed himself on the defense, letting Celine practice her new found skills.

So far, Celine had fought with precision, learning quickly from Clay’s lessons. Granted, Jeremy had been more than aware of the apprehension that Celine held toward fighting. It wasn’t something that mattered in the end though. If she wanted to survive in this new world, then she’d have to learn how to fight and protect herself.

He watched carefully though at the sudden change of pace when Nick twisted her leg, quickly sending her to the ground and sending his fist her way. She dodged it without a second thought, moving and throwing her fist forward where he once again dodged. He went on to pinning her to the ground, whispering something in her ear before she could fight back. Oddly enough, it seemed to still her for a moment, a hint of worry crawling its way through Jeremy as he pushed himself slightly closer to the window.

~xXx~

Celine lay there on her stomach, eyes closed tight as she breathed heavily, Nick’s hold on her keeping her pressed to the ground. His words played in her head as she lay there, contemplating things. He had deliberately goaded her in order to get her into the fight, knowing that her wolf would retaliate indefinitely. He had done it on purpose and then when he finally had her he let her know just how vulnerable she was.

_“All it takes is a pin and snap of the neck Cel. That’s all it takes and then you’re done.”_

She felt herself shake as something grew warm inside of her. It was like a flame rising up from the ashes, something that had fizzled out long ago. Even though his words had been meant purely as friendly advice, it had snapped something inside of her, a growl erupting from her throat.

Within seconds, Nick was on the ground with a bloody nose.

“Don’t let your guard down Sorrentino,” Clay chuckled, staring down at his long time friend as he lay there in shock. “My turn.”

With that, Clay gestured for Celine to come at him. She waited though, watching him as they circled one another, biding their time. Eventually though, Clay took action and leapt at her. She dodged, keeping herself out of reach. Clay moved toward her again, sending a fist her way. Not having time to duck, Celine let herself fall backwards, pushing herself back up afterward and rolling to the side to dodge a well placed foot.

“Gotta stay on your toes darlin’,” he told her, moving quickly to make a grab for her neck.

She dodged that, but in doing so left her middle wide open. Clay took advantage of this and tackled her to the ground, winding her and winding an arm around her throat. Growling, Celine kicked out her feet in an attempt to free herself, Clay tightening his hold. When he did this, she bit down on his arm, a look of pain going through his face. The act was dirty, but it worked for just a moment, allowing her to get loose and flip them over. This time, Celine had her own arm wrapped around Clay’s throat in a choke hold.

“Give up,” she asked, holding tight.

“Not a chance,” he managed to grunt out, reaching his hand up and grabbing for her hand.

Before she knew it, Clay had pulled her fingers and twisted her arm behind her back, this time leaving her with nowhere to go as his other hand pressed at the back of her neck.

“Checkmate,” he chuckled.

Glaring at the ground, Celine gave in, letting her muscles go slack in submission. Seeing this, Clay released her and stood up, holding his hand out for her to take.

“Come on,” he said, a faint smile pulling at his lips. “You did good.”

Nodding her head, Celine took his hand, letting him pull her up from the ground. She dusted herself off, chewing lightly on her lower lip.

“Invigorating, isn’t it?” he asked, looking back at her.

“You can say that again,” Nick laughed.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Clay muttered, rolling his eyes at Nick laid back demeanor.

“I guess,” Celine shrugged, shoving her hands into her pockets as she kicked lightly at the ground.

In all honesty, it had been a little thrilling, but she wasn’t about ready to admit to it. The feeling was as though her veins were on fire, the air brushing her skin as she moved with precision and skill. Granted, she still wasn’t as good as Clay, but she knew that she could handle her own if she truly had to. At the same time, her wolf seemed to take pleasure in the fight, its animalistic nature spilling out when she had bit down on Clay’s arm. She had tasted blood on her tongue as things boiled over in the back of her mind.

Clay gave her a level look before speaking, eyes watching her carefully as he secretly analyzed her.

“It’s a natural reaction to the wolf in you,” he explained, taking his time as he began circling her. “We’re all animals on the inside. Even all of those people that for some reason find piece in thinking that they are normal, regardless of having the wolf gene running through their veins.”

Celine stood there taking in his words as he explained things, trying to help her feel more at ease with the feelings that were rumbling around inside of her. Everything was still new to her and she wasn’t sure what to think of them. She’d never been the fighting or territorial type, far from it in fact. Instead, she was mainly quiet, voicing her opinion when needed. She talked with people at times, but she wasn’t overly loud and forward. Her behavior would have been considered subservient.

“As wolves, we’re more agile. Our senses are heightened, even without being in our true forms.”

Clay pivoted on his heel as he turned to face her, squaring his shoulders automatically.

“Everything we once were changes and we become something more.”

Celine let her tongue swipe at her lower lip briefly as he stepped closer, her wolf stirring inside of her once more. She could tell that he was stronger than her, more dominant. Clay was completely different from her both human and wolf.

“Your instincts become sharper and you become more self aware.”

Her hearing was better. She could see farther than she could before. She could smell things from across the lawn and father. Her nose had always been sensitive, but now it was even worse.

“What can you smell?” he asked, seeming to sense what she was thinking.

Swallowing, Celine closed her eyes for a moment, allowing Clay to move closer. His arm reached out as it set level in front of her, allowing her to pick up any possible scents that lingered upon his skin. It was a test of sorts to bring her even closer to realization, but at the same time, allow herself to hone her skills via open practice.

“Just breathe,” he told her. “Let your senses succumb to all of the smells around you.”

“I…” she began, drawing in a breath of air through her nose. “I can smell the faint hint of sweat on your skin,” she breathed. “The smell of ragweed and dandelions.”

The men watched her as she took in another breath of air, eager to learn what she was able to draw out. It wouldn’t be the last time that they would test her. No, this was only the beginning as plans were already underway to test her abilities. They already planned to hide certain items in the woods, giving her a small whiff to start off with and then let her run on her own to search it out. Perhaps spray perfume in the vicinity and see how well she copes trying to ascertain the smells around her.

“You’ve recently been around the rose bushes on the front side of the property,” Celine announced, opening her eyes as she looked up at him.

“Exactly,” he grinned, a small, barely opened rose bud being produced from his hand.

Looking down at his hand, Celine carefully reached forward, extracting the plant from his hand. The peachy colors of the tiny petals shone in the light as she brought it close to her face. She inhaled, closing her eyes for a moment as she relished the scent that it gave. She’d always loved roses, finding the scent calming when she was stressed. It helped her unwind a bit every now and then, normally via the spray of scent. Although, Jeremy had warned her that things such as perfumes were not allowed in the house as it would irritate their sense of smell. Consenting to this rule, Celine had boxed the little bottle up that she had brought to Stone Haven and sent it out to Kelly, hoping that her friend would enjoy it.

“Rose makes for good tea,” Clay told her, before ruffling her hair playfully.

Celine narrowed her eyes and smacked at his hand as she pulled away, becoming frustrated with having her hair messed with.

“Alright, knock it off,” she groaned, running her hands through her hair in an attempt to tame it. “The two of you are pests.”

“Aw,” Nick whined. “And I thought I was a cute pest.”

Celine stared at the man, her lips in a firm line. The title of idiot passed through.

“Cute my ass,” she scoffed. “There’s no such thing as a cute pest, which is why they remain to be called pests,” she elaborated.

“Now that’s just mean,” he whined again.

“And true,” she added, turning around as she headed back toward the house.

As she went, she could make out the quiet footsteps behind her. They were slight, before being pushed forward. Then there was an absence of crushed grass and the sound of wind against cloth. Smirking, she sidestepped at the last possible second and watched as Nick landed face first on the ground where she had been, a groan escaping him.

“Next time, ditch the shirt,” she laughed, opening the back door before closing it behind her.

There, she left Nick on the lawn and Clay stand there, arms folded over his chest and snickering.

**I want to once again apologize for the long delay. I have chapters up to 14 that I'll be posting today. Please, let me know what you think? I need all the feedback that I can get. Also, if anyone has any music ideas for inspiration, I'd love to hear them. ALSO, if anyone wants to read any of my other stories that I don't current have up on this site, merely go to Fanfiction.net . My lazy self sometimes forgets that I have two sites that I publish my work on. Thanks again everyone!**


	7. Broken

**To Run With The Rising Sun**

**Chapter 7**

**Broken**

Three more weeks had passed by in a flash and Celine had found herself slowly forgetting about the outside world. Every day she spent at Stone Haven was another day forgotten on her old life. Outside of Helen, Celine had practically forgotten about the others as the day to day life of the place she was staying in took its toll.

Even though she had pushed other thoughts to the side of returning to her apartment, Celine wasn’t sure that she could. In a way, it started showing in her paintings as she’d take up residence in Jeremy’s studio from time to time. Some times, she’d be up there a couple days at a time. Others, she’d spend mere hours. Her paintings began to take shape in the form of wolves, her way of sight taking over the way that she saw things.

One in particular stood out among the rest. It was one that she kept going back to, the piece portraying the image of a woman. The woman seemed to be in secret anguish as she lay trapped in another form. Faint blue and gray seemed to swirl around her, taking shape in the form of a canine creature. The eyes glowed against the contrast of the space in the painting, a slightly eerie feeling resonating from it. The woman’s hands were bound together by this spirit like trail of light that swirled around her.

In a way, Celine had envisioned herself as being trapped, unable to escape what she had become. She had accepted it shortly after coming to Stone Haven, but coming to terms with it was an entirely different aspect all together.

Every time that Helen would call, Celine became more and more reluctant in picking up the phone. Its not that she didn’t want to talk with her friend, but more along the lines of not wanting to lie to her. She’d never been good at lying, having not liked it to begin with. For as long as she’d known Helen, Celine had been an open book with her. She’d talk with her all of the time about what was on her mind, what she’d done that day, even all the way down to what she’d eaten. It was a friendship that she’d yearned to have for the longest time. Now, she was pushing that friendship to the edge of no return, pushing it closer and closer toward the proverbial cliff side.

~xXx~

_“Hey, Celine, you never answered back about my question. Are you doing okay? Call me back.”_

~xXx~

Celine laid there on her back, the floor boards pressing against her body as she closed her eyes. She had earbuds in as she listened to her ipod, something that she found lucky to have brought on her trip. As she lay there, the song Broken, by Leona Lewis kicked in. She felt her heart clench as her mind wandered, the song floating through her ears.

_If you can take away all my love, what do I need you for?_

_You can take away all these words, there’s no meaning any more._

~xXx~

_“Celine, why are you doing this?” Helen’s voice came through the phone. “I thought we were friends. Does this have to do with your parents?”_

~xXx~

_You can take away everything leave me laying on the floor,_

_All those sorrys, we can’t go back to the start._

_You can’t fix me, I’m torn apart!_

~xXx~

_The names Charles and Erica Hamilton stared back at her, taunting her almost. The stones were covered in dirt, having not been cleaned in a long time. She felt a tug at her heart as she could almost see their faces in front of her._

~xXx~

_I wanna run away from love, this time I have had enough._

_Everytime I feel your touch, I’m broken._

_Shattered all the pieces of parts, never thought I’d fall so hard._

_I’m putting back together my heart, it’s broken._

Celine’s eyes began to well as she laid there, a salty tear slowly trailing down the side of her face.

~xXx~

Down stairs, Jeremy sat in the living room. He held a file in his hand, something that Jorge, an associate of his had brought to him about a week and a half ago. The Alpha had ordered the lower wolf to dig up some information, wanting to know as much as possible about Celine in hopes of understanding her better. Granted, he was only just looking at it now, having had put it off in order to help Celine acclimate to her surroundings.

As a child, she’d had a fairly normal life, growing up with her parents in the surrounding area of Bear Valley. She had no siblings to speak of due to her mother’s unfortunate health problems. Not to mention, both parents came from practically nothing, leaving Celine with no other family to rely on so to speak. There seemed to be nothing wrong with her health as a child either or at least nothing that truly stood out as important.

Thumbing through the pages, Jeremy kept reading over the documents. She’d finished high school with Honors, moving away to college in order to pursue a career away from Bear Valley as most children seemed to do once coming of age. For as long as he could remember, no one truly wanted to stay in Bear Valley. For some, it was far too small. For others, it was where their family had settled generations prior and so some had no desire to truly leave.

~xXx~

_You can take these photographs and watch them fade away._

_You can through away all these letters, I don’t care about what they say._

_All those sorrys, there’s a million reasons why._

_You can’t mend me, don’t even try!_

~xXx~

Jeremy found himself at a loss as he stared down at the folder in front of him. Photos were stacked and clipped to papers along with newspaper articles. The date went back nearly five years ago to some place in New York. It had been a robbery gone wrong.

_Witness testimony verifies a man in his 40’s was seen leaving an apartment complex down town after shots were fired at around 7 in the evening. Was last seen in a black hoodie, jeans, and white converse. Height around 5’ 7”. Suspect is Caucasian.  Suspect on the run and at large. Man leaves behind two dead and one wounded. Officials have yet to release the names of these individuals, but no doubt carry condolences to the family._

Jeremy’s brows furrowed as he continued to read articles and medical reports.

_Twenty-two year old Celine Hamilton found alive in her apartment after violent shooting. Gunshot wound to the neck and shoulder. Parents, Charles and Erica Hamilton pronounced dead on the scene. Female transported to Townsen General Hospital, New York._

~xXx~

_I wanna run away from love, this time I have had enough._

_Everytime I feel your touch, I’m broken._

_Shattered all the pieces of parts._

_Never thought I’d fall so hard._

_I’m putting back together my heart, its broken._

~xXx~

Looking down at the obituary, the funeral had been in fall. Erica Hamilton’s burial remained as a closed casket, Charles remaining open. He remembered hearing about the funeral. Only a few people having attended, mainly to support Celine as a result of having no remaining family. After Celine had left, their house remained empty. The establishment still remaining empty to this day seeing as she held full ownership over it.

In the end, proceeding medical records left her as being diagnosed with PTSD as a result of the shooting. She had denied most attempts at therapy, his mind trailing to Logan as a possibility if he decided to call him back. In fact, it might prove useful if he did, but he’d first have to speak with Celine. With that in mind, he turned his eyes toward the ceiling where he knew she would be, the sound of her heart beating away in her chest.

~xXx~

_I know its gonna take some time, to finally realize._

_I got nothing left inside, nothing to hide_

_I’m broken, broken, broken_

~xXx~

The chorus sang in the background as she laid there, eyes glazed over as the tears fell. Her mind was finally starting to let her deal with the things she’d been unable to respond to. Her heart hammered away and her lips trembled.

~xXx~

_I wanna run away from love, this time I have had enough._

_Everytime I feel your touch, I’m broken._

_Shattered all the pieces of parts, never thought I’d fall so hard._

_I’m putting back together my heart, its broken._

~xXx~

Slowly, Jeremy made his way upstairs, lips pulled tight as he went. He wasn’t sure of what to make of the information that had been provided to him. It was only supposed to give him a more accurate account of what she did, who she associated with, where she was from, and so on. He never expected to find such an up close and personal tragedy, one that seemed to shake him to the core. Now, he understood why she had been so frantic after hearing the gunshots near the property. No doubt her PTSD kicking in and sending flashbacks her way.

Inhaling, Jeremy stopped outside the door to his studio. This new information, he knew it could come back to bite them. What did one do when dealing with a newly turned wolf with PTSD. A woman no less. He wasn’t sure what to do as his hand hovered over the door knob.

~xXx~

_I’m broken!_

_Save me, oh save me!_

_Ohhhhh save me!_

~xXx~

The door opened as Celine laid there, the tears slowly streaming leaving her unaware as the next song kicked on. Her mind still ablaze. Her vision darkened after a moment as she came to realize a change. Her eyes clearing ever so slightly as she found a frown staring back at her in the form of her Alpha; Jeremy. His clear crystal blues staring down at her as she laid still, refusing to move. They stayed there for a moment, neither one of them having the courage to move as they stared at one another.

Slowly, Celine drew the ear buds from her ears, another tear cascading down her cheek as it soaked into her hair. She tried to open her mouth, but no sound came out. It felt like she was trapped, sitting there in front of the man that had rescued her and given her a chance at life despite the challenges.

“Celine,” Jeremy murmured, slowly lowering himself to his knees as her eyes seemed to well up again, the gates beginning to break.

Gently, he pulled her into his arms, her shoulders shaking as she choked back a sob. He could feel her arms rising around him, fingers gripping at his vest as the tears flowed freely against him. She felt small in his arms, logs wrapped around her. She could feel the warmth of his body as his heart beat within his chest alongside hers.

“I know… I know about what happened to your parents,” he revealed, his voice quiet as she cried louder at his words. “I know why you fled from the gun shot in the woods.”

Slowly, she buried her head against his chest as the pain became too much for her to handle. Her heart began to pound wildly as it triggered the change, a loud crack resounding within the room. As this happened, Jeremy held her closer, feeling the shift in her form. He knew that his would soon follow as her back began to flatten out, hands scrambling to peel away her shirt, soon followed by her jeans and bra. The she wolf was naked before him as her hands began to form into paws. Her nose pushed forward, slowly forming a snout as fangs appeared. Before either of them knew it, Celine was in front of her Alpha in her true form, a whine escaping her maw.

Jeremy felt a small smile pull at his lips as he looked on, holding his hand out to her. It drew her forward as she laid down in front of him, nuzzling his palm with her snout. She whined in contentment at the feeling, watching him as he stood up a moment later, gesturing for her to follow with the click of his tongue.

~xXx~

Celine whined as she watched her Alpha undress, pawing at her face. She had reminded herself of Clayton’s words. He’d told her that she’d get used to it, but she’d never seen her Alpha in such a way. As he came to his pants, she bowed her head, earning a chuckle in response. Stripping naked in front of her didn’t seem to faze him in the slightest, much like Clay.

Slowly, Jeremy brought himself to face her, couching down as he forced the change to start. The air caught in his throat as he kept his eyes on her, showing her that it was nothing to be ashamed of. As his back shifted, his hands caught hold of the ground. He could feel his face changing as his lips pulled back, nose protruding forward. His bones repositioned themselves as his entire body changed, leaving nothing behind, but the form of a wolf.

Once the change was finished, Jeremy shook out his coat. He then reached a paw up and pressed it lightly to Celine’s forehead as he signaled her to stand. Again, she whined, complying to his wishes. She kept her tail down in submission though, showing him respect as he turned his head toward the trees of the property line.

~xXx~

Celine felt at ease as she ran with Jeremy through the woods, relieving the pent up stress that had been tormenting her. It was nice being able to run with him, a feeling of safety washing over her as they stretched their legs. After a while, she found Jeremy at her side, the Alpha grabbing at the back of her scruff with his teeth. This stopped her as she whined, halting and laying down. He then licked her face, his hot breath tickling the sensitive skin of her ear.

She cocked her head to the side as she rolled over slightly, pawing at him. In response, he lowered his head, pressing his nose to her neck as he nipped lightly. Again, he licked at her, causing her to whine in response. It was a normal response from female wolves as it was their main way of communication. It showed him that she was comfortable, relaxing in his presence. This in itself gave Jeremy a sense of peace, carefully laying down beside her. She curled up next to him, her side touching his as she let her tongue slide out to lick his paw.

Staring quietly, Jeremy watched as she continued to lick his paw tentatively, before reaching up and licking the side of his face. He was mildly surprised at her courage, but didn’t push her away for it. She was getting used to this new form and it pleased him greatly. It also meant that she would soon hopefully come to terms and not push away from the transformation. Instead, she would embrace it and seek comfort in it as most of his pack did. He knew that whenever Clay was troubled, he turned to his wolf and ran through the woods.

Whining, Celine laid her head down on her paws, her eyes going closed for a moment as she yawned. Their run along with the turn had tired her already shaken body. It left Jeremy pawing at her side slightly, before tugging lightly at her fur with his jaws. The area they were in was just a little too open for his liking as he pulled her up with him. Giving her a small lick he whined back, gesturing for her to follow as he led her through a somewhat denser section of the property, knowing that the hunters would never find them there if they decided on taking a hour or two to sleep.


	8. After Thoughts

**To Run With the Rising Sun**

**Chapter 8**

**After Thoughts**

The following day, Celine found herself thinking back to the run that she’d had with Jeremy and what had come after. She had no clue how long that they had truly run, but Jeremy had pushed her to run until everything had been freed from her system, the tears no longer rolling down her cheeks. They’d run until both could no longer run, following him to a more secluded area to sleep.

When Celine had finally woken up, it was to a feeling of warmth against her skin. She had opened her eyes, taking in everything around her. Jeremy lay with her on his back, her head resting against the left side of his broad chest. The warmth that he had given off was comforting. Although, when she’d finally realized that she was laying naked by his side and vice versa, a blush had taken over her face. Her eyes had wandered as he lay with his eyes closed, chest rising and falling at a steady pace. His skin was smooth to the touch as she ran her fingers over his chest hesitantly.

Looking further, her face reddened. He was well built despite not being as buff as Clayton, his muscles toned and firm. His stomach sported the hints of a six pack, but only just. Drawing in a breath, she pulled her eyes back to take in his face. His eyes were still closed, hair sweeping his forehead. His features were gentle and she found herself reaching forward in curiosity, her hand hovering just above the line of his jaw bone.

~xXx~

“Earth to Celine, come in,” Nick chuckled, waving a hand in front of her face.

She blinked as she looked at him, a faint look of confusion on her face.

“No day dreaming at the table,” he said, before smirking as an idea popped into his head. “I mean, I know I’m handsome after all, but still, no need to day dream about it.”

Celine narrowed her eyes at this, reaching down to grab her fork and throw it at him when she heard Jeremy clear his throat at the front of the table. Her face went red in embarrassment as she bowed her head, before continuing to eat. She had a whole plate of pancakes in front of her along with bacon and sausage. For any normal person, the size and amount of food would have been intimidating, but Celine had already grown used to it. In fact, normally, she’d end up with a second large helping of food. It was as if the hunger was never truly satisfied as a wolf, pushing her forward little by little into eating more and more food.

“As I was saying,” Jeremy started, pausing for a moment in order to chew another piece of food. “I’m calling Logan in for a short while.”

Antonio and Nicki looked to him in curiosity, while Clay sat quietly waiting for him to continue. Nicki was the first to speak though.

“What’s the point of calling him in though?” he asked. “After all, nothing is really going on save for the addition of Celine being here.”

That was when everything went quiet for a moment, realizing the obvious after Nicki had spoken. Jeremy was calling Logan back for Celine’s well being. Jeremy wanted Logan to move his psychology practice back to the pack for a sort while in order to help maintain Celine’s humanity. It was something easy lost after transformation. Especially, while suffering with PTSD. It was easy for a wolf to lose themselves completely and that wasn’t something that Jeremy wanted for Celine. He wanted her to be happy with the pack, while also salvaging what was left of her former life, hoping to retain what and who she was inside.

“Celine,” Jeremy started, drawing her attention forward, along with everyone else’s.

“Yes?” she asked quietly, voice slightly hesitant.

“Do I have your permission to request his help on the matter of your condition?” he asked evenly.

Looking around, Celine bit her lip. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to delve back into that nightmare. Every time that she did, it seemed to tear her apart even further on the inside, forcing her to remember the traumatic death of her parents. She could still see the bullet hole in her mother’s forehead, blood dribbling from it and sliding down her face. Her father’s hadn’t been as quickly, the feeling of him pushing her out of the way still lingering in her skin after all of this time. She could hear the cries of pain in her ears. Searing white pain followed.

“Celine?”

Blinking quickly, she looking around, pulling herself from her thoughts.

“Hey.”

It was Clay, his hand having been reached out and gripping her own. She looked down at their hands, his large one completely enveloping her own as though it were nothing. She could barely make out her own hand beneath his own as she sat there, blinking away the traces of water in her eyes.

For a moment, she saw blood as she stared at their hands. It was a reminder of her father.

Swallowing, Celine stood from her seat, bowing her head respectfully.

“With all due respect, I’d like to be excused,” she voiced quietly. “I will abide by whatever decision you feel is best.”

With that, Celine pushed in her chair and walked out of the kitchen. Again, she bit down on her lip as she went, quietly making her way outside and into the quiet. She hadn’t really talked to anyone about her parents since it happened, merely dealing with the nightmares that came after. She didn’t want to think about their deaths which is way little by little, she’d stopped coming to Bear Valley.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Celine made her way through the trees as she began walking out toward the property line, her mind still thinking things over. She knew full well why Jeremy wanted to bring Logan in. It was painfully obvious to her. While she hadn’t really been plagued by nightmares recently per say, she’d been dwelling on the past due to being back in Bear Valley for so long. Her thoughts kept going back to her parents as a result. It went back to her fears, back to her young aspirations and more. For Celine, it was like submerging herself in icy water, easily sending a shock to her system as it tried to wake every nerve in her body.

The thing was, Celine knew practically nothing about Logan, save for the fact that he was a member of the pack and a doctor of sorts. Nicki, she knew that he was kind of a party boy, enjoying a nice drink and the company of ladies. Clay was a professor at university, enjoying his time with his students, while also being the quiet and sometimes overbearing muscle of the back. Antonio was a well rounded individual that always tried to keep things in perspective and keep the peace between everyone. Then there was Jeremy. He was old man Malcolm’s son. He was Alpha of the pact, sometimes stoic as he stood as leader, while also being sensible and keeping things in place. His word was law, yet he was sometimes hesitant to pursue particular measures. He was also a passionate painter in his free time along with a welcomed open ear if Celine actually decided to talk which wasn’t very often. He was a comforting presence among the growing chaos in her mind.

Slowly, Celine sniffed the air, her brows furrowing at a particular scent on the wind. It was almost familiar in a way, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Shaking her head, she looked around, taking in the area before her.

Her legs had brought her back to the grave site, her throat tightening slightly as she stood there. Everything seemed the same as it had been left over a month ago. The weeds had grown back though as a result of not being sprayed, but they were fewer than before, the pieces of green foliage popping up from the ground and mocking her as they always did. She glared back as she leaned down, pulling them from the ground. She tossed them to the side and let her hand run over the smooth surface of stone.

~xXx~

“Jeremy, shouldn’t someone follow after her?” Nicki asked, looking toward where Celine had left.

It was obvious that the mentioning of her parents bothered her, the mere thought of talking about it triggering something in the back of her mind. He found himself worrying about her as he would a sister, much like he did Elena whenever said she wolf was actually around.

“Perhaps,” Jeremy mused quietly, hand stroking his beard for a moment. “Then again, I believe that she merely needs time to clear her head.”

Sitting near his friend, Antonio mulled over Jeremy’s words. It was true that the young woman was troubled, but when in such pain, it was normally better to have someone else around to help sooth it. It was especially so when one was dealing with depression and other similar disorders.

“Actually, with everything going on, maybe it is best that someone check on her?” Antonio suggested. “You know, just to level things out a bit.”

Jeremy sat there for a moment as he took in his friend’s words. He knew that Antonio was right on the matter. At a time like this, it would likely be best for her to know that she has people that she can rely on. Knowing that he’d likely have to stay there though instead of wandering around, he turned to the youngest, eyes staring out at the youngest Sorrentino.

“Nick, why don’t you go and check on her?” Jeremy decided.

~xXx~

Celine stood there with her eyes closed as she tried to calm her nerves. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but she knew that she had to try. Standing there, her brows furrowed again. The scent. She could smell it again as she stood there, a wave of confusion washing over her.

She turned her head to look around in an attempt to locate it as she tilted her nose up. The smell was coming from further up in the graveyard, her feet carrying her forward as she followed it. As she went, the stones seemed to get older and older. It wasn’t until she found herself standing just behind one of the old crypts that a gasp left her mouth. The stench of rotting flesh assaulting her senses as she tried not to throw up her breakfast.

“Oh my…”

She was quickly cut off by the sound of a growl behind her, her eyes widening slightly as she shifted to turn. A scream escaped her lips as it leapt at her, pushing her to the ground as fangs tore into her shoulder. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, the wet salty liquid rolling down the sides of her face. She cried out in pain as a loud crunch was heard, eyes nearly rolling into the back of her head. That’s when she heard a voice called out to her.

“Celine!”

It was Nicki, anger in his voice as he shouted again, his nostrils flaring as he ran forward.

“Get away from her!” he cried.

In his negligence, he failed to take notice to the approaching figure behind him.

“Nicki, watch out!” Celine cried, but it was too late, the lead pipe connecting with the back of the young wolfs head. “Nicki!” she cried, watching as he fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. “Nicki!” she screamed.

As she continued to scream, the man drew closer a smirk on his face. He clutched the pipe in his hand, lightly tapping it against the side of his leg.

“So, looks like the bitch made it,” he chuckled, the wolf beside him growling hungrily as it snapped at her. “Well, good for her,” he grinned. “The boss will be pleased.”

“G-get away from me!” she yelled, backing up as best she could.

She knew that the change would be pointless. If she tried, she’d be vulnerable, and she had no clue what they’d do.

“You won’t get away with this!” she growled out. “T-the pack will find you a-and kill you!”

“Oh shut up!”

Moments later, Celine’s world went dark as the pipe sailed across the side of her head. Her last thoughts went to Nicki and then everything was black.

**Please let me know what you think? Any comments are a great help. Also, let me know what you'd like to see happen as well perhaps?**


	9. Raging Fire

**To Run With the Rising Sun**

**Chapter 9**

**Raging Fire**

There was static in the background. Faint creaking echoed around the area along with the sound of faint chatter. A young woman sat tied to a chair with ropes. Part of her shirt had been torn open, her shoulder wrapped up tightly in what was now a bloody bandage.

“What is with this stupid radio?”

The sound of metal and plastic being thrown against the wall was heard next, pieces flying around and landing here and there without the slightest amount of discrimination.

“This is why we can’t have nice things,” another spoke, shaking his head at his companion.

He had just recently gotten out of prison, so a radio was a luxury for him. Now, it lay in pieces on the ground.

“Oh shut up Griswald,” the other growled.

“Well, at least I’m not dumb enough to throw something when all it likely needed was a change of batteries,” Griswald said smugly.

~xXx~

It had been several hours since the attack when Nicki finally managed to peel open his eyes, his head feeling worse than it did after a hangover. Reaching up, he could feel the bandage wrapped around his head. A faint growl left him as he began to remember what had happened, pissed that someone had tried to crack open his skull.

Stepping into view, Antonio came forward, cupping his son’s face in his hands.

“Nicki, mio figlio. Grazie al cielo, stai bene,” he said, lightly kissing his forehead.

“Nice to see you too Dad,” Nicki groaned, before turning toward the stairs as Jeremy approached.

Nicki could tell right off the bat that something was bothering Jeremy. By the look on the older man’s face, it was all too obvious. Two of his pack members had been attacked, one taken, and he was boiling on the inside.

“Nick,” Jeremy nodded, stepping forward as he drew in a breath to calm his nerves. “It’s good to see you awake my friend.”

“Ditto,” Nicki said, before letting out a groan.

“Nicki, we tracked you to the graveyard,” Jeremy stated. “We also found a three day old body rotting away,” he informed him.

“What he’s trying to ask is, what happened before we found you?” Antonio asked, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder.

“Celine,” he groaned. “I went to go find Celine like we agreed,” he started, scratching the side of his head as he pushed himself to sit up a bit more. “It couldn’t have been very long after I tracked her scent to the cemetery. There was another scent there, a mutt,” he told them, trying to put things back together.

“Take your time Nicki,” his father told him.

“I heard her scream and went running,” he told them. “The mutt had bit her, but it wasn’t one that I had smelled before,” he explained. “There must have been another there because the next thing I know, she’s yelling at me and then there’s this searing pain going through my head.”

“How is it that you failed to catch wind of the other one?” Jeremy asked, standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

“I don’t know,” Nicki said honestly. “He must have masked his scent somehow.”

Nicki could hear the breath that Jeremy drew in, watching as the Alpha walked toward the window. As Jeremy stood there, thoughts continued to plague his mind. He shouldn’t have let her leave the property. If he hadn’t, then none of this would have happened. Had he been the one to go after her, Celine would still be there. Instead, a couple of rouge mutts had taken her from ~~him~~ them. Being a female werewolf, he wasn’t sure what the mutts would do. What he did know though, was that when they got a hold of them, they were dead.

~xXx~

With a faint groan, Celine began to open her eyes. She could hear the sound of two males arguing with one another senselessly. At the same time, she could still feel the pounding in her skull, something stiff and dry sticking to the side of her face.

Carefully, she peeled open her eyes, blinking as few times. She looked around her, brows furrowing painfully. More than likely, the bastard had given her a hairline fracture. She shook that off though as she stared at the metal environment around her. It was something that wouldn’t really pick up a scent on its own, unlike wood or other materials. If she had to take a guess, she was at and old steel mill of sorts.

“Well, look who’s awake,” she heard one of the men chuckle, wincing at the sound of his voice.

It was the man that had knocked her out, a glare forming on her face as she spat at his feet. Unfortunately, this led to a slap to the face, her head flying to the side painfully. It left her gasping in pain as the area around her temple pulsated causing her to let out a whimper.

“You hurt Nicki,” she managed to growl out.

“Oh, you mean the scrawny piece of shit that came running?” the man asked, laughing in her face.

She felt the spittle on her face, a look of disgust forming.

“Hopefully, it was enough to leave him knocked out for a few days if he knows what’s good for him.”

Growling, Celine narrowed her eyes. Her wolf was practically in a frenzy. This man was laughing at the pain that he’d caused her pack mate.

“I have to say, she’s definitely feisty,” she heard another chuckle.

Looking up, she found another man approaching. This one was tall and obviously not as muscular as his current counterpart. He was blond, hair reaching down to his ears. He was clean shaven though, wearing a nice button up shirt. The other guy was also tall. He had no shirt on though, only wearing a pair of loose fitted sweat pants.

“Untie me and I’ll show you just how feisty I really am!” she growled.

At the moment, her anger was greater than her fear, pushing her nerves even further. In fact, the ropes were the only thing keeping her from pushing the transformation and tearing them apart. With the way that she was tied up, she’d end up doing more damage to herself than anything.

“Actually, I think I rather like things how they are,” the blond grinned, stepping forward and gripping her injured shoulder tightly.

It caused a cry of pain to escape her as he dug his fingers into the wound, tears falling from her eyes.

“Now, now, no need to cry,” he purred. “We haven’t even started yet.”

~xXx~

“Clay, have you found anything?” Jeremy asked.

Clay had just stepped back into the house. He had searched the entire property and a bit further, tracking it up and down to determine how many and possibly who were involved. He had counted three in total, but he wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. One of the scents smelled familiar though, the scent having come from a soak spot of urine by one of the crypts. The mutt had marked its territory, leaving a stronger scent behind than the other two. That had been his second mistake. The first being involved with the taking of his pack mate.

“There’s three of them that I know of,” Clay answered, closing the door behind him. “I think that one of them was the mutt that bit Celine when we found her.”

This small piece of information caught Jeremy’s attention. The corners of his eyes crinkling along with a faint twitch at the side of his mouth.

“So, he isn’t as gone as we would have hoped then,” Jeremy surmised.

“He’s obviously not that smart if he’s been walking around on the property still,” Clay voiced. “He marked a spot by the graveyard. His scent was the strongest.”

Nodding, Jeremy slowly began pacing the living room.

“How’s Nicki?” Clay asked, watching as his adoptive “father” paced, hands behind his back.

“He’s awake upstairs with Tonio,” Jeremy answered, trying to piece his thoughts together.

The Alpha still couldn’t believe that this mutt had the audacity to come into his territory, his property, his home of all places, and take one of his own. Celine belonged to the pack, not the mutts. Especially, not a mutt for which had bitten and left her to die during an ill placed change. Had they not found her when they did, she likely would not have survived the night. Being alone with the change in the cold of night would have certainly killed her. Instead, Jeremy had found her and called for Clay.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Jeremy thought back to the very moment when he had found her. Her scent had been sweet, a hint of vanilla mixed in due to having showered recently. Part of it had been washed away with the rain, mud covering her body and masking part of her natural scent. Her grey blue eyes had stared back at him like silver, completely unafraid of him as he had approached her. She’d even reached out to touch him as pain ran rampant through her body, tormenting her. He remembered cleaning her face, the metallic taste of her blood staining his tongue. It had left behind claw marks that had later healed without leaving a scar. She had been lucky in that aspect, but her shoulder and leg hadn’t faired so lucky. There had been faint scaring on her shoulder blade, same with her leg. All of it had been caused by the mutt, yet she still never feared him. She had trusted him when most wouldn’t.

“Jeremy?” Clay called, pulling his Alpha from his thoughts.

Turning, Jeremy stared back at his ‘son’, giving him his attention for a moment.

“We’ll find her,” Clay assured him, nodding his head slightly, before heading upstairs to speak with Nicki and Antonio for a bit.

That left Jeremy to his own devices as the man went back to pacing.

~xXx~

An ear splitting scream tore through the air as tears left Celine’s eyes, a choking sob leaving her at the feeling of burning flesh. They’d been kind enough to try and cauterize the wound, the evil bastards taking a red hot fire poker to the wound little by little merely to hear her scream in agony.

“Sweet music to my ears,” Griswald laughed, his hand reaching forward to stroke her cheek. “You know, if you survive this, I might just take you for myself,” he grinned, coming close to her face, only to have her spit in his eye.

Growling, he pressed the poker harder against her skin as he wiped away the spit, another scream erupting from her already raw throat.

“Now, I’m going to ask you again, where are the archives,” Griswald asked, coming closer as he pulled the poker back from her shoulder.

She merely glared at him as she shook, anger and pain merging into one. This mutt was asking her to betray those that she considered family. He was asking her to betray Jeremy, the man that had practically saved her life.

“Well?” he asked, moving the poker among the fiery coals in the pit that they’d made.

Lifting her head, Celine glared at him. She growled, drawing her strength forward as much as she could.

“Go. To. Hell!”

Griswald merely tsked as he shook his head, realizing that he wasn’t getting anywhere. Tapping his chin, he pulled the poker forward, this time bringing it toward her face.

“Hold her still.”

~xXx~

Jeremy could almost feel something tugging at the back of his mind. The feeling was like pin pricks, something that he couldn’t explain. For a moment, his thoughts went back to Celine, hoping that she was holding up alright. He couldn’t be sure of this though as he stood up in his studio, letting Antonio do his job as he spoke on the phone with various contacts. They’d already been through the archives in the downstairs, unable to come up with a lead. It was obvious that the mutts were new, meaning that they had no previous scent documentation to go by like the rest of them.

Nicki had suggested having someone trace her phone, but that would only work if it were still turned on. That and it wasn’t for sure on whether or not she’d still have it with her. If it were turned off, someone would have to hack into it. If it were dead, then they’d have nothing to go for.

With a sigh, Jeremy ran a hand through his hair, pushing the long strands from his face. He found himself looking around the room, his eyes catching sight of what would be her I-Pod, the little black device staring back at him. She would normally listen to it while painting, something to push her forward and set the mood. It was something that Jeremy wasn’t used to doing too often, normally basing his work straight from the photos that he took from his surroundings. Celine on the other hand did a bit of everything when it came to her art work.

~xXx~

Downstairs, Nicki sat with his father, his eyes drooping as he stared into the fireplace. The flames reflected in his eyes, glistening against the reflective orbs as they danced in front of him. It reminded him of the clubs that he went to, the graceful swaying of hips taunting him as he looked on. The images subdued him, almost lulling him to sleeping as his eyes closed for a moment, before he jerked himself awake. He blinked as he tried shaking his head, a yawn escaping him.

“Nicki, why don’t you lay down and get some rest son,” Antonio said, coming up beside his son and patting him on the shoulder. “You’re tired and need sleep.”

Nicki shook his head. He couldn’t sleep. How could he when Celine was still out there in the hands of their enemy. For all he knew, they could be torturing her for information or worse and there was nothing that they could do about it.

“Nicholas, hai bisogno di dormire,” Antonio said softly.

“But father,” Nicki started, blinking back the sleep from his eyes.

“Sleep my son,” Antonio said soft, lightly pressing his lips to Nicki’s forehead.

The sentiment wasn’t lost on the boy as he slowly nodded his head, the footrest of the armchair slipping out from its spot with ease. Antonio smiled at this as he grabbed a throw from one of the couches and tossing it over his son. It would do them no good if he couldn’t stay awake the following day when they went back out to find and search for Celine. If things went according to plan, she’d be back in their arms by noon time tomorrow or slightly later depending on when he got the call. Until then, everyone would just have to try and get some sleep as they waited for the morning to come. At the same time, their thoughts would be with Celine as they prayed. Although, for Jeremy’s sake, Antonio prayed that she wouldn’t be too harmed. After all, Jeremy may be cool and centered on a normal basis, but when pushed passed when he couldn’t control things could get ruthless. Granted, he was nowhere near as monstrous as his father, but as Alpha Jeremy still carried a darkness of his own.


	10. Nothing Left To Say

**To Run With the Rising Sun**

**Chapter 10**

**Nothing Left to Say**

As the morning swept through, so did the sun, it’s rays of light peaking through the broken windows of the old steel mill. A few managed to find their way to Celine, shining sprigs of light on her pale face. Everything from the previous day had taken a toll on her, her body laying limply in the chair that now sat with its back to the ground. Her shirt had been torn, blood staining where burn blisters had burst against the skin. The side of her face adorned a bruise, the skin twitching slightly as her eyes fluttered beneath the pain in her skin.

It took everything she had to open her eyes this time as she blinked tiredly, trying to get a grip on the world around her. The pain from the previous night having met an all new high as she tried to move her mouth, a single tear rolling down along the side of her face and into her long dark hair.

~xXx~

_“Now, I’m going to ask you again, where are the archives,” Griswald asked, coming closer as he pulled the poker back from her shoulder._

_She merely glared at him as she shook, anger and pain merging into one. This mutt was asking her to betray those that she considered family. He was asking her to betray Jeremy, the man that had practically saved her life. He was asking her to throw it all away for the mere possibility that they’d actually let her live._

_“Well?” he asked, moving the poker among the fiery coals in the pit that they’d made, the red of the embers seeming to soak right into the very metal itself._

_Lifting her head, Celine glared at him, her long hair shielding part of her eyes as she leaned forward. She growled, drawing her strength forward as much as she could._

_“Go. To. Hell!”_

_Griswald merely tsked as he shook his head, realizing that he wasn’t getting anywhere. Tapping his chin, he pulled the poker forward, this time bringing it toward her face._

_“Hold her still,” he ordered, drawing closer as the other man grabbed her firmly by the neck and hair._

_Celine felt her breath catch in her throat as the glow of the steel came closer. The raw heat opening the pores of her skin causing sweat to leak from her hairline. Her eyes were wide as tears began to pool. She wouldn’t be selfish. She couldn’t allow herself to be selfish after everything that had happened._

“Everything is going to be alright baby,” _she could hear her father saying, his voice whispering in her ear. “_ You’ll be okay,” _he whispered. “_ You’re so strong… _”_

_Everything seemed to fade for a moment as the steel came in contact with her face. The sound of her skin sizzling as it puffed up and blistered, marring it with a distasteful and angry red. The skin itself stuck to the metal, pulling as it tore at the nerves, steam rising as tears evaporated into puffs of air. It was like a shock of electricity to her central nervous system, her eyes practically rolling into the back of her head. It was the otherworldly scream that ripped its way through her, echoing across the balls and bouncing off of panels._

_“_ Everything is going to be alright baby. _”_

_Tears swelled at the edges of her eyes as she tried to shut out the pain. There was nothing left to say now as the blazing heat soaking into every tangible piece of the side of her face. Not to them anyway. Even if she did have anything to say, they wouldn’t listen. She was drowning in her tears as Griswald tried to break her. There was nothing left to say._

~xXx~

A sudden yell was heard from downstairs as Antonio called out, phone waving in the air.

“Maurice found it!” he cried out. “He found her!”

Jeremy was the first to respond, vest in hand as he started placing it on.

“Where is she?” he asked, eyes staring straight into Antonio’s.

“She’s about 30 miles out at an old steel mill,” Tonio told him. “It’s been shut down for about ten years.”

~xXx~

Another man stood outside the steel mill on the phone, his back turned toward the road. In his other hand, he held a little black phone, the light blinking every so often.

“Yeah boss, they tracked it,” he said, before walking over and tossing the small black phone into an empty oil drum. “The humans should throw him off enough not to draw too much attention. As far as the girl, she’ll be none the wiser,” he smirked, before hearing a click on the other end.

Rolling his eyes, he pocketed his phone and slowly made his way out of the area. He had no intention of being caught in the middle of this scuffle yet. At least not until he was told otherwise.

~xXx~

Groaning, Celine tried to roll onto her side. The chair didn’t want to move, creaking as she tried to manipulate it. At the moment, she didn’t have the strength to roll over, merely expelling a breath of warm air. Her vision was a bit fuzzy as she looked around her, finding herself alone for once. In response, she let out a sigh of relief.

Her body screamed at her when she tried to roll her shoulders, the skin covered in welts from the hot poker, looking as though someone had drawn on her with red marker out of boredom. It wasn’t too far from the truth though. Griswald, as she found out, was a sadistic bastard. Granted, he was calmer than his counter part, but she had never learned the other ones name. Regardless of that fact, she was left to wonder where everyone had gone.

Swallowing, Celine rose her nose to the air, sniffing. Her brows furrowed as she picked up on several other scents.

“Humans?”

She looked around in confusion, trying to figure out what was going on. There weren’t supposed to be any humans there. In fact, the scents seemed so intertwined that it was impossible for their presence to be that of coincidence. What she didn’t understand was what part a human would have in everything. After all, it was against the law to bring them into their affairs. The lives of the wolves were meant to be kept separate from that of humans, something that both Jeremy and Antonio had taught her from day one.

Breaking that law would end in punishment. Not to mention, should a human find out the truth, there was no other choice than to kill them. Unfortunately, she knew that had she not been bitten by a mutt, Jeremy may very well have finished her off himself. Granted, she hadn’t known the difference, having had no idea that Jeremy and the mutt had been werewolves. In fact, she had absently thought it as a regular wolf or coyote. How wrong she had been in her assumptions.

Luckily, Jeremy had taken pity on her, taking her back to his home and helping her through her change. He had saved her life instead of leaving her for dead. In the end though, she still found herself tied to a chair and burned, the bastards believing that they could simply burn the answers out of her.

Growling, Celine struggled against her binds, the rope tearing at the skin of her wrists. The ropes were just too tight to wiggle out of.

“Damnit!” she hissed, narrowing her eyes in frustration.

A moment later, she heard footsteps echoing, the form of a large man approaching her. By his smell, she could tell right away that he was human. It caused her to groan in frustration, trying to move against her bonds once again.

“I suggest you keep that mouth of yours shut,” he said pointedly, stepping closer with a piece of cloth in his hand.

Narrowing her eyes, Celine growled at him, baring her teeth. The man dismissed this though as he grabbed hold of her hair, pulling her from the floor, before tying the material around her mouth and using it as a gag to silence her.

Celine grumbled, throwing her head backward before he could move away. There was an audible crunch that followed and she wasn’t the least bit sorry for it.

“You bitch!” he growled out, moving away from her, hand over his nose.

She watched as blood flowed between his fingertips, trickling down his chin. His green eyes narrowed at her harshly, pulling back his hand to look down at it. He paled slightly at the blood, but he didn’t raise his hand at her surprisingly. Instead, he stalked away, leaving her bound and gagged.

~xXx~

Slowly, Clay pulled to a stop, pulling off to the side of the road and into the brush. They didn’t want the car out in the open to be readily seen. It also meant that they had pulled over about a quarter of a mile away from their destination in hopes of surprising the enemy.

“Clay, I want you to search the surrounding area. See what you can find,” Jeremy said, watching as Clay began stripping his clothes and placing them in the car. “Nicki, keep an eye out. We don’t need you knocked on the ground again.”

At this, Nicki groaned, nodding his head in response. They waited until Clay had changed and then headed out with Jeremy in the lead. As they went though, they made sure not to stray too far from one another, Clay running off to do his own thing since they didn’t have Elena to track on this one. That didn’t seem to matter at the moment though as they kept to the forest.

As they drew closer, they could smell several different bodies, the smell being dispersed around the property. Everywhere they turned, the smell was in the air, the smell of humans mingling with that of mutts. It was all that it took to send a growl rumbling through Jeremy’s chest. Someone was deliberately breaking the rules and when he found out who it was, they would be severely punished.

“How many do you think there are?” Nicki asked, sniffing the air for a moment.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Antonio answered, looking toward Jeremy for a moment.

“I can smell the scent of three mutts minimum,” Jeremy said, sniffing the air. “Possibly five humans.”

Nicki groaned upon hearing this as he looked around, scanning the property line with his eyes. It was obvious that it was supposed to be some kind of trap, but they knew that they couldn’t just leave Celine there.

“We’re going to have to split up,” Jeremy announced as he looked between the two Sorrentino’s.

He knew the dangers that came with splitting up, but he didn’t want to end up getting backed into a corner should they be surrounded. They had to find the assailants and pick them off one by one if possible.

~xXx~

Padding around the property, Clay searched for any of those that would be hiding, coming around to the back side of the building. Sniffing the ground, he growled, lips flaring in anger. He could smell it, the same mutt that sprayed his scent around the cemetery. He’d done the same around the surrounding area of the mill. The smell itself was wretched, disgust swelling inside of him. The mutt was obviously a strong male, the individual giving in to the instincts of his wolf in marking his territory. Clay could care less though as he swiped at the ground in frustration, covering up the smell with dirt.

Looking around he sniffed the air again. While the smell of the mutt was still strong due to the urine, the residual smell was all that was left. It meant that the male had left a while ago, though he wasn’t entirely sure of where.

~xXx~

Standing on one of the oil drums, Nicki looked inside the building. He rubbed lightly at the foggy glass, squinting his eyes slightly. He could make out the figure of a male walking around, wooden bat in hand. He’d be able to take the man out without a problem.

~xXx~

Entering the building, Jeremy took his time, keeping his eyes and ears open to everything around him. He sniffed at the air, the smell of humans and mutts mixing together into one. The smell again made his nose wrinkle in disgust. One of the humans smelled terrible as though they hadn’t bathed in months.

Shaking his head, he tried again, concentrating on the scent that he was looking for. He was looking for the soft sweet scent that was Celine, closing his eyes for a moment. There was a hint of her leading toward the hallway to the left, barely lingering in the air.

~xXx~

Stepping quietly, Antonio crept up behind one of the humans, keeping his footing slow. He wasn’t going to kill him though. That wasn’t his job. Instead, he was merely going to incapacitate the man. Once within range, he shot his arm out, wrapping it around the man’s neck from behind. The man struggled in response, crying out for help as Antonio tightened his hold on the man’s neck. Slowly, the man grew silent, and his struggling became less. Once it finally stopped, Antonio laid him down on the ground.

“Now, let’s see who else is out here.”

~xXx~

Grumbling, Celine continued to try and loosen her bonds, a wince forming every time that she tried twisting her wrists. If it weren’t for how tired she was and the raw skin of her wrists, she may have been able to actually get out.

Closing her eyes, she drew in a breath in an attempt to calm herself. She then opened her eyes as she scanned the area. There were still pieces of plastic and metal laying around on the floor due to the man’s rage with the radio. It was then that an idea popped into her head, eyes scanning for the closest piece of metal that she could find.

_If I can get close enough, I should be able to topple the chair and grab it,_ she thought, wiggling around a bit as she rotated her hands.

She knew that the initial fall was going to hurt, but if she wanted a way out, then she was going to have to deal with it.

~xXx~

“Well, look what it is.”

Turning around, Clay grumbled. It was a pair of humans, the two males coming forward with bats in their hands, one of them had nails stuck in the sides of it. He snarled at them, baring his teeth in warning. Neither of them seemed to care though as they drew closer. If he got a hold of either of them, he was going to rip their throats out.

~xXx~

“Now, I’m only going to ask you once,” Nicki started, his body in the shadows as he had one of the men in his grasp, his arm locked around his neck tightly. “Where is she?”

The man gagged for a moment, before throwing his head back and catching Nicki hard in the nose, loosening his grip for just a moment as he let out a hiss. This allowed the man to swing an arm at him, but he ducked out of the way, eyes narrowing in frustration.

“What’s it matter anyway?” the guy asked, running a hand through his hair. “She’s as good as dead with these freaks anyway.”

“Shut up!” Nicki growled out. “She’s my sister and I want her back.”

The man merely laughed as he bounced lightly on his feet, making sure to keep enough distance between him and the wolf. Nicki was quicker though, lashing out and catching the guy in the side of the face. It soon followed with pressing him to the ground and twisting his arm sharply behind his back until it was ready to snap.

“Now, I told you I was only going to ask once,” Nicki grunted. “So, unless you want me to break it,” he twisted further until the man cried out. “I’d suggest you spit it out.”

“She-she’s at the south wall,” he told him. “By the breaker room.”

With that, Nicki pulled out his phone, sending Jeremy a message. A moment later, he got a reply back, letting him know that he was almost there. As he put his phone away, he was about ready to knock the brute out when he heard laughing.

“What the?”

His brows furrowed as he stared down at the man, confusion on his face. Why was he laughing? Nicki could easily end him and yet he was laughing.

“What’s so funny?” he growled out.

“Fools,” the man snorts, catching the young pups attention. “Idiots!”

Slowly, Nicki’s face fell as realization hit him, eyes widening slightly.

“Jeremy,” he breathed, quickly pushing away from the man.

Jeremy was by himself and to his knowledge, they hadn’t run into any of the mutts yet. That left the room Celine was in. That left two mutts to their Alpha.

~xXx~

Slowly, Jeremy rounded the corner, his shoes scrapping lightly against the concrete floor. Her smell was strong so he knew that she had to be there. Pushing through the door, he let out a shaky breath, brows furrowing slightly as he stepped forward.

“Celine,” he breathed out.

~xXx~

Celine felt her breath catch in her throat as she lay there on the floor, head turned toward the door. Standing there, she found Jeremy looking back at her, tears slowly welling up in her eyes. She shook her head as she tried to yell at him, trying to tell him to leave. He couldn’t hear her though as he stepped closer. She was telling him to run.

_Get out of here damnit!_ She yelled in her head.

It was then that she caught sight of the figure in the shadows, moving her head all over the place until she finally managed to pull the gag far enough to speak.

“Move!” she screamed.

The short notice gave him a mere three seconds as the mutt leapt forward to pounce, sending Jeremy rolling out of the way with a start.

“Get out of here!” Celine cried out. “It’s a trap!”

It was too late though as the second one came into the room, a snarl erupting from its throat. It was two against one. Two changed mutts against one unchanged Alpha.

“Run!” she screamed, tears slipping out as she struggled with the piece of metal in her hands, desperately trying to cut through the rope.

Jeremy had nowhere to run though as the two mutts surrounded him, circling him as they bared their fangs. He merely stood in the middle of them, hands raised slightly, ready for a fight. Normally, it was one on one in these kind of fights and normally it was a challenge for the right to Alpha. In those instances he had nothing to worry about. In those fights, there were rules, but these mutts didn’t care about that. They were out for blood.

“Jeremy, please, be careful,” Celine pleaded, trying her hardest to break through the ropes that held her there.

If she could just break free of the ropes, then maybe she could help. She could change then and level the playing field a bit.

~xXx~

Standing there, Jeremy took in his surroundings. He had a mutt on either side of him. One was larger than the other, its muscles taught as it growled at him, snapping its jaws. He knew that he was in trouble if he wasn’t carefully, Celine struggling over in the corner.

He felt his eyes narrow in frustration as he looked over at her, a large burn mark stretching across the left side of her face. No doubt it had been given to her by one of the mutts. He could also make out the blood on her now tattered shirt, her bra showing through the slip of cloth that remained. Scar tissue stared back at him though, his anger flaring in response.

“Jeremy!” she cried out, alerting him and letting him dodge one of the mutts as they had attempted to attack again, growling animalistically.

Saliva dripped from the largest ones mouth as it snapped, making him back up slightly. He moved again when they came at him, ducking, and sending a fist out to catch the side of the smaller ones head. It yelped in response, but shook it off and growled.

“Jeremy!?”

He could hear Nicki’s voice through the door he had entered from, finding it now barred from the inside. It had no doubt been set up by one of the mutts.

“Nicki, go and find Antonio and Clay,” Jeremy called out, side stepping as the larger one jumped at him. “Find Clay and he’ll know what to do!” he ordered, kicking the other mutt in the side of face and tearing a chunk of fur out with his hand.

The beast narrowed its eyes at him and snapped, before turning its head toward the back of the room, a faint string of fear rolling down Jeremy’s spine as its eyes locked onto Celine.

~xXx~

Closing her eyes, Celine drew in a breath as she pushed her rage forward. She could feel part of the rope loosen, meaning she’d soon have room to move. With that rage, she could feel the shift, the pain slowly creeping forward as she attempted to keep it in check just long enough to free herself. She could still feel the effects as she heard Nicki’s pounding footfalls inside the building, Jeremy’s rapidly beating heart, the sound of both the mutts as their breaths can out in heavy puffs.

Her eyes snapped open as she felt a growl tear through her chest, stilling herself only for a moment. Her shoulder was next as it popped from its place, eyes screwing shut as a result. Next, she opened them, she was seeing different colors. One of the mutts seemed to notice this, turning its attention away from Jeremy for a moment. It was the small of the two, Griswald no doubt. The bastard sneering at her. If she played her cards right, she could push through the transformation quickly, taking the attention off of Jeremy just long enough for him to recollect himself.

Drawing in another breath, Celine allowed her back to pop, the act pushing her body away from the chair enough for her to pull her wrist free from its hold. Once that was done, a smirk pulled at her lips, turning her head to look at her Alpha.

“You have two minutes,” she told him.

With that, she let herself go, her wolf pushing through and taking over. At the same time, Griswald lunged at her, Jeremy grabbing him and sending him flying into the wall.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” he grunted out, before throwing a punch at the other mutt.

“Just,” she bit her tongue as her bones broke, tears falling. “Need enough time to finish.”

She broke the top of the chair as she twisted her body, sending it Jeremy’s way to use as a weapon. He nodded in gratitude, watching it break across the side of the wolfs head and knocking the large beast to the ground momentarily.

The young she wolf fell to her side as her arms shifted, pulling what was left of her clothing from her shoulders as she pulled herself free from the chair. Her back was bent as she tugged off her jeans, legs bending unnaturally.

“Celine, you might want to hurry up,” Jeremy urged, beating back one of the mutts, only to have the other latch onto his arm.

~xXx~

Almost too soon, Jeremy saw the mass of fur jumping from behind him, a snarl erupting as Celine sunk her fangs into the mutt’s neck. The thing yipped in pain as she tore at its throat, throwing it away from her Alpha. It left Jeremy mildly surprised as he held his arm, blood dripping down his hand onto the cold floor. He could feel his fingers twitch as he stood there, watching the young she wolf as she stood with her hackles raised and ready to protect him. He wasn’t expecting such a quick turn around, especially, the forced change that she’d just put herself through.

“Celine,” Jeremy called out, watching as she hesitated for a moment.

He was surprised when he didn’t have to call her name again, watching as she backed up toward him, never taking her eyes off of the enemy. He let his bloodied hand rest on her head for a moment, before narrowing his eyes at their attacker, the two wolves slowly making their way closer. It was now a somewhat fair battle, but he didn’t want her partaking in it. Regardless, he had no choice, but to let her fight.

Slowly, Jeremy knelt down beside her, bringing his lips to her ear. His hot breath made the appendage twitch lightly, tail still high in the air.

“I never wanted this for you,” Jeremy admitted quietly. “No matter what, if things get out of hand, I want you to leave if you have the chance,” he ordered, stroking her ear lightly. “You are no good to me or any of the pack if you are dead.”

With that, Jeremy stood, gripping lightly at the fur along the back of her neck.

~xXx~

Growls echoed through the old steel mill as the rest of the pack made their way forward, Clay managing to break the door down. When they entered they were met by Celine’s growling. Blood covered the floor as one of the mutts lay dead, the other following Celine around in circles as Jeremy stood to the side clutching his arm.

“Jeremy,” Antonio called out, carefully moving into the room and over to his friend.

Nicki followed after his father, steering clear of the two wolves as they continued to taunt each other. Clay was the one the padded over toward the two, letting out a vicious growl as he leapt forward, snapping at the other male.

They watched as Celine and Clay acknowledged one another, before slowly moving in sync with one another toward the mutt. Without warning, they lunged, clawing and biting down on the mutt. Celine had gone for the throat once more, only to be thrown against the wall with a yelp. No one dared move though as she slowly pushed herself up, a fire burning in her bright eyes as she shook. Clay took this chance to bite down harshly on the male’s shoulder, ripping clean through the skin, before Celine bit into his leg. Both wolves pulled, tearing at flesh as they fought together.

“She’s holding up better than I thought,” Antonio voiced, hand resting on Jeremy’s shoulder.

“She’s one of us,” Jeremy told him, Nicki nodding in agreement.

Again, they watched as Clay and Celine jumped back, the mutt swinging one of its massive paws. He turned on Clay, catching him in the shoulder, only to go rolling as Celine jumped on his back. The female bit down quickly, sending out a spray of blood as she tore off an ear. The sound that followed made Nicki wince, but before they knew it, the mutt was down. Clay stood, mouth dripping blood as he had finally silenced the animal.


	11. Salted Wounds

**To Run With The Rising Sun**

**Chapter 11**

**Salted Wounds**

Once everyone was home, the true silence had set in. Jeremy had insisted that Antonio take a look at Celine’s injuries, but she had quietly shaken her head, stating that as Alpha he had to be attended to first. In turn, Antonio had taken Jeremy upstairs to the infirmary in order to get a better look at his arm. The whole time, Celine stood there off to the side, Clay’s shirt wrapped around her tiny form.

She watched as the rest of Jeremy’s sleeve was rolled up past his elbow, the bloodied and gnarled flesh staring back. She never took her eyes off of him as Antonio pulled the first aid kit forward, pulling out gauze and peroxide. The look on Jeremy’s face never changed as the eldest Sorrentino poured the disinfectant over the wound, the substance bubbling and fizzing away as it cleared out the skin. It was actually a wonder that the mutt hadn’t done worse, merely leaving behind a flesh wound instead of a broken arm.

The blood didn’t seem to bother her as she stared out at the two men, her arms wrapped loosely around herself as she stood there. Her body was tired as she watched, eyes following as Antonio wiped lightly at Jeremy’s arm, before dabbing a bit of ointment along the entrance of the wound. Once that was taken care of, he placed down a medical pad and began wrapping his arm. The second it was done with, Celine pushed off the wall and headed back down away from the infirmary. They barely had time to call after her, merely hearing the sound of the bathroom door closing down the hall.

With a sigh, Antonio rubbed the back of his neck, glancing between Jeremy and the direction that Celine had left.

“So much for taking a look at her,” he said.

“Perhaps after she’s cleaned up,” Jeremy offered, carefully pushing himself up and off of the bed that he’d been sitting on.

~xXx~

Downstairs, the men sat around the dining table in the kitchen, each talking among themselves. It had been nearly two hours since they had first heard the sound of the shower turning on upstairs. No doubt, the boiler had already gone cold, leaving the water that was spouting out chilled. It took everything that Jeremy had within him not to check on her, convincing himself that she just needed time. After all, he’d never wanted harm to come her way.

Drawing in a breath, Jeremy slowly stood from his chair at the head of the table, the others watching as he slid the chair back into place.

“Jeremy?” Antonio spoke out in question for a moment.

“I believe its time I check on her,” Jeremy said, bowing his head slightly, before making his way out of the kitchen.

As he made his way toward the stairs, he paused for a moment, biting down slightly on his lower lip. He shook it off though as he climbed the wooden stairwell, being careful of his arm as he went. It wasn’t until he reached the door that he stopped, knocking lightly as he called out to her.

“Celine?” he called softly, standing there.

He heard no response, so he tried again, hand gripping the handle.

“Celine, I’m coming in,” he said, before turning the knob and gently pushing it open.

Upon entering, he was met with the sight of her naked in the tub, her body curled into herself as she sat there with the water still pounding upon her now chilled skin. She had a dazed look on her face as she sat there in the tub, not really even acknowledging that Jeremy had come into the room. As he closed the door behind him, he stepped over the clothes that lay abandoned on the floor.

With a sigh, Jeremy knelt down beside her, reaching his head forward and passed the onslaught of water as he turned it off. His hair was wet as he looked down at her, bringing his hand forward and placing it lightly against the side of her face. She blinked ever so slightly as she allowed his thumb to roam the side of her face, his finger tracing the burn mark that now lay there.

“Celine,” he murmured, eyes gazing down at the bright red scarred tissue.

Jeremy knew that there was a chance that a few of the nerves had been permanently damaged, a frown setting on his face as he lightly stroked the skin beneath her eye. His eyes trailed further after that, taking in the flared skin of her shoulder. He could tell that one of the mutts had bitten into her flesh, tearing at it. At the same time, they had also burned the skin of the wound to close and stop the bleeding, any and all blood already having gone down the drain.

“Look at me,” he whispered, carefully reaching a finger beneath her chin to tilt her head upwards.

Still, she avoided his gaze, his thumb brushing the edge of her lip.

“Celine.”

This time, she turned her eyes toward him, a look of sadness having filled them. Among the sadness, he could also see the pain that resided there. She was so torn between what to do and how to respond that she still hadn’t said a word. Other than telling Antonio to take care of him, she hadn’t made a sound, not since the steel mill. With this in mind, his brows furrowed slightly, lips parting.

Slowly, he pulled her forward, his arms wrapping around her as he pulled her wet frame against him. His head was down as he rested his chin atop her dampened scalp, gently pulling her from the tub. Her arms soon found their way around his middle as he lifted her out and onto the toilet seat.

Again, she remained silent, merely watching as he worked. He reached under the sink and pulled out a first aid kit, one of many that resided within the large house. Popping it open, he pulled several things out, before his hands reached out toward her face. Sitting on his knees, Jeremy cupped the side of her face in his large hand, brushing his thumb against the skin. His other reached up, dabbing something against the side of her temple, her eyes twitching slightly at the pain.

“Sorry,” he whispered, before reaching his hand back to the burn on her face.

The burn itself was several inches long, the reddened skin traveling from her brow line, down underneath her eye and over the jaw bone. The mutt had been deliberate in his assault, making sure to draw it out as much as humanly possible. He could see her eyes welling up as he traced along it, sympathy filling him. They had obviously tried to break her, but she had held strong, and so he was proud of her.

“You’ve nothing to fear,” he assured her, moving forward and pressing his lips to her forehead.

The contact sent a shiver through her, finally realizing the cold against her skin. Seeing this, Jeremy grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it carefully around her shoulders. Again, she shivered, before lowering her head. That’s when the tears finally came as everything came crashing back down upon her.

~xXx~

She could feel the tears forming as she hunched forward, wrapping her arms around her middle as she let loose a choked sob. Her entire body ached something horrible, the skin on her face and shoulder screaming at her from the blisters that had formed around the burns. She was a gigantic mess and she knew it, yet Jeremy was sitting before her without the slightest shred of doubt in his eyes.

She hadn’t seen pity in his eyes when he had walked in. No, instead she had seen sympathy, pain even as he had walked toward her. The sight of her seemed to hurt him in ways that neither seemed to fully understand.

Again, Celine closed her eyes as she bowed her head. The tears fell upon her legs, splattering against the bare skin like glass. The rawness of her wrists tried to stare back at her, the skin painful as she twitched, but she just couldn’t seem to sit still. She had been forced to sit still for hours tied to that chair while they tortured her. They had burned her in an attempt to squeeze information from her, but she had sat there and taken it instead of giving in.

“I’m sorry, Celine,” Jeremy whispered, gently pulling her from where she sat and onto his lap.

The warmth itself sent a pleasant shiver through her body as his fought against the cold.

“Had I gone after the mutt the day we met, none of this would have happened,” he told her, his arms holding her close as she lowered her head to his neck.

Her eyes closed as she sat there, merely inhaling his scent. The musky smell filled her nose, followed by what could only be described as natural earth. It was a scent that was uniquely his as Alpha. The muskiness, it was the smell of centuries old books, the pungent smell of paint and tea, and the crispness that was the sun. It was something that she knew she would never smell on another being as long as she lived, her lips lightly brushing the taut flesh of his neck without truly meaning to.

His response was a surprise to her ears as his breath seemed to catch in his throat, lips parting. His body had gone still as though debating how to function for a second or so.

“Jeremy,” she murmured, something coming over her as she pulled back slightly, her eyes staring into his.

She could see the gears turning in his head as they sat there, his hand slowly reaching up to touch her face. His touch was feather light, ghosting across her skin and sending another shiver through her. A small noise pressed itself at the back of her throat then. Her eyes glinted as she watched him, his fingers going to her hair and stroking it gently, running his fingers through it as he avoided bumping anything.

Her breath hitched as his nails grazed the skin of her scalp, lips parting. Slowly, his face drifted closer as his hand came to rest at the back of her neck. He urged her forward ever so slightly, but of her own accord as his hot breath hit her face, eyes misted over with a hint of uncertainty. Then, slowly, his lips brushed hers in a chaste kiss. The faint touch of his lips sparked a fire inside of her as she reached out her hand, eyes closing as it came in contact with the scruff of his jaw. Her fingers splayed against his skin, curling slightly as the thick facial hair scratched at her delicate fingers.

It was like a light had gone on inside of her, the kiss chasing away a part of the darkness. The simple sweet sentiment had eased her mind as she slowly kissed him back, neither in a hurry to truly speed things up. As they parted, Celine’s eyes fluttered slightly, gazing up at Jeremy’s stark blue eyes. They seemed to capture her as she set there on his lap still, hesitating slightly as she moved toward him again. Her lips met his once more as they ghosted against the flesh of her Alpha, until the realization hit her like a ton of bricks, but the feeling of Jeremy’s hand on her back pushed that from her mind.

“Celine,” Jeremy breathed out, Adam’s apple bobbing slightly as he tried to find the words he wanted to say.

It was like he was stuck, unsure of what to do as his tongue twisted on itself. It was a situation that he’d never been placed in before as he stared back at the young she wolf in front of him. In the back of his mind, he felt the wolf inside him trying to tell him something, but he couldn’t seem to make out what it was.

“It’s…okay,” she whispered, gently brushing her fingers through his damp hair.

She watched as he leaned into her touch slightly, seeming to favor the feeling that it brought his soul. Smiling softly, Celine pulled back, the warmth from his skin disappearing from her as she did so. She almost frowned as it happened, her legs pushing her to stand, and Jeremy following suit.

“Celine,” he breathed out, gently taking hold of her hand as she turned toward the door.

Again, he seemed stuck on what to say or do, feeling like a young boy again as he stared after her. The towel was open as it revealed her skin to him, finally seeming to notice for the first time, but it wasn’t due to lust. He held a look of admiration in his eyes as he caught sight of the skin of her chest and stomach, the swell of her breast rising with every breath. Then it was gone as she gripped at the towel to keep it from falling, her eyes meeting his. This time, they didn’t seem to hold the same amount of pain in them as they once did.

“I should…go get changed,” she said quietly, before slowly letting her hand fall from his.

With that, she left the bathroom behind her, Jeremy staring down at his hand for a moment. Slowly, he brought his fingers to his lips in faint confusion, wondering what exactly he had just done.


	12. First Kill

**To Run With the Rising Sun**

**Chapter 12**

**First Kill**

It seemed as though the whole estate had gone quiet since bringing Celine back home. She wasn’t as silent as she had been upon the mending of her wounds, but she wasn’t ecstatic either. She had reserved herself to the quiet of Jeremy’s studio. At the same time, Antonio and Nicki were trying to get back into their regular routines. Nicki had decided to remain in Stone Have for a bit longer, while his father had to return to Italy to take care of a few things. Prior to leaving, Antonio had given Nicki his blessings of safety, making a short appearance for Celine as a means of temporary farewell.

It didn’t seem to take very long for Logan to arrive after Antonio’s departure from Stone Haven though. His presence was a comfort for Jeremy, allowing the man to relax in the knowledge that Celine would be taken care of. Celine’s wellbeing was actually the reason why Jeremy and Nicki had talked about the latter of the two delaying their journey back across the sea. After all, Clay had students to attend to, leaving to go back to University until he was once again needed at home.

~xXx~

“Have you thought about calling Elena and having her come up for a bit?” came a fellow pack members voice.

“I’ve considered it, but I don’t want to pull her away from the new life that she’s made for herself quite yet,” Jeremy explained, clasping his hands together and knitting them over top of his right knee as he set with his legs crossed.

“I understand that, but,” the man began, but Jeremy cut him off, holding a hand up to stop him.

“Logan, I asked you here in order to first evaluate her mental state,” Jeremy explained. “If then, after that you still want Elena brought up, I will attempt to contact her.”

Logan sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck. He knew that Jeremy was right, the first step being to properly evaluate her, then turn to possible treatment options. Regardless, he was almost certain that having Elena’s presence at Stone Haven would at least give Celine a sense of peace. He knew that being the only female currently residing in Stone Haven couldn’t be easy for her. In fact, he could only imagine how unsettling it must have been right after her initial transformation. Heck, he was actually shocked upon finding out from Jeremy that she’d even survived the change. As a result, that meant that they now held the only two female werewolves in existence within their pack. Muck like Elena, the pack had decided to keep Celine’s existence as much of a secret as possible for her own protection against the world. The only problem was, someone out there already knew of her existence, meaning things were no longer as safe as they should have been.

“Logan?” Jeremy piped back up.

“Yes?” Logan asked, eyeing his alpha for a moment.

“I have one more question for you.”

~xXx~

In the following days Logan had gotten to know Celine a bit better, talking with her about various subjects. They’d talked about her life prior to Stone Haven, her having explained to him a bit about her parents and friends. He had found that she’d grown up in Bear Valley initially, leading a fairly normal life prior to the mayhem of adulthood. She had left the small living space she had first attained after the death of her parents. After that, she kind of fell off the face of the earth for a while, moving in with a friend while working on her artwork. At the time it had been the only thing that she knew to do, outside of picking up random cleaning jobs. She’d even explained to him how she’d been putting off coming home. It’d become harder and harder for her to face the reality of her parents death. It was almost harder now, with the change and kidnapping that she’d experienced.

After everything, she was left feeling vulnerable. She’d gone from being almost comfortable with herself, to being afraid to step outside. There was still one thing that bothered her though; Jeremy. She didn’t express this to Logan, but she was still left wondering about things after the kiss that they had shared. It had been sweet and simple, comforting even, but he hadn’t really touched her since which left her to wonder if perhaps he’d thought it to be a mistake. It had been different between them since she’d been brought back.

“Are you okay?” Logan suddenly asked, grabbing her attention from the meal that they were having.

“Yeah, I…,” she started, pausing for a moment as she looked down at her food.

Logan waited patiently for her to continue, giving her his full attention.

“Did I do something wrong?” she finally asked, brow furrowing slightly in uncertainty.

Her question confused him, the confusion evident on his face.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” he said, hoping for a better explanation.

He realized that she didn’t speak at first, merely staring down at her hands as though contemplation something.

“You do that nothing has to leave this room unless you want it to, right?” he reminded her, leaning forward slightly.

“It’s not that,” she sighed, closing her eyes as she tilted her head back and drew in a heavy breath. “I don’t know where I stand with anyone,” she confessed. “I mean, Jeremy’s barely come near me since I’ve been back.”

It was then that Logan understood what the problem was. True to her words, Jeremy had been distant to a degree, but he had done so, believing that she needed space. In truth, it was the opposite. When left to her own devices, her thoughts wandered to darker places. It was when she was with Jeremy, Nicki, or Clay that she could be herself without thinking too much. Jeremy didn’t realize that though.

“I think I understand the problem,” Logan told her. “As alpha, Jeremy didn’t want to over step his bounds,” Logan explained. “He likely thought that you wanted space after everything that happened.”

Celine hung her head upon hearing his words. She knew they were likely true, but it had still bothered her. It wasn’t even that she’d expected anything after the kiss between her and Jeremy, but she at least wanted to be acknowledged within the house. Nicki had given her better company than Jeremy had, even Logan, and the man barely even knew her.

“Is that all that’s bothering you though?” Logan asked, sensing that there was an underlining problem outside of what she had just told him.

He then watched as her eyes widened, before shaking her head quickly. Obviously, not wanting to talk about it, he nodded his head in understanding. He wouldn’t push the matter if it made her uncomfortable. So instead of asking anymore form her, he turned and smiled.

“How about a run?”

~xXx~

It felt like forever since she’d been on a run, stretching her legs out in front of her in an attempt to loosen up her back and muscles. She let out a soft whine as she shook out her coat, before trotting over to Logan’s side. She had found it funny that he was only a little bigger than she was, his fur shining in the sun. he surprised her though when he came forward, nuzzling her neck with his nose, before licking her ear. In turn, she let out a small yip which would have been a laugh, nudging him back. Once the introductions were done, Logan nipped lightly at her heels, motioning for her to follow as he made a fun for the woods.

Celine was quick to follow, easily keeping after him as he weaved between trees and bushes, occasionally going right through the greenery. She would yip at him whenever he wandered a little too far, wanting to stay within sight. He didn’t expect much else from her though, knowing that she wanted to stay close. He couldn’t help it though, seeing how normally he wasn’t able to wander free unless at Stone Haven. It just wasn’t safe, but he still always managed to go for a run somehow. He was just really careful, something that was mandatory outside of Stone Haven’s walls. If something happened, then they’d be run over with a find toothed comb. Unfortunately, anyone who may have possibly seen that, would be dealt with severely, despite what may have occurred.

It had been a rustle among the bushes that had placed their run on hold, Logan pausing to smell the air. He was pleased upon finding the familiar scent. It was the delicious aroma of a tiny fuzz ball.

Feeling a growl at the back of his throat, Logan stocked forward, hackles raised and ready to strike. It’d been a while since he’d been able to hunt. At the same time, Celine slowly trailed after him, tail almost wagging in excitement as she set her eyes firmly in front of her. Then, it was like a countdown had been set, a breath of air being exhaled from her snout as the wolves’ shoulders rotated in quick anticipation.

It was the scent that got them both, the aroma sweet and tantalizing. It was at the last second that the rabbit jumped out of the brush, Logan lunging forward, jaws snapping. The rabbit ran, hopping over roots and zipping back and forth as it tried to flee. It’s efforts were barely a hindrance as Celine ran behind Logan, rushing left as the small mammal made an effort to confuse then Logan’s paws sliding slightly as he tried to right himself. He paused for merely a second though as his eyes followed after Celine, watching as she somehow still managed to keep in step with the small creature.

Shaking his head, he jumped back into the game, running to keep up with the she wolf as she continued to weave in and out of trees, intent on catching her pray. Then, before the male knew what was happening, Celine was lunging forward, jaws open, before snapping shut. Blood ran freely as a small squeak was silenced, followed by a quick snap of the neck. Once again Logan was momentarily stunned into silken watching as Celine stood back up, prize in her mouth. Her tail wagged happily behind her as she made her way back to her pack mate, maw pulled back into a would be smile. She was proud of herself, easily showing off her kill.

~xXx~

It was a rare moment when Jeremy would find himself without words. One of the more prominent ones being when Clayton had bit Elena. He’d been so mad then, so tempted to kill the woman and put her out of her misery. Like Celine, Jeremy had been surprised when she’d survived the change. Though, like Elena, he’d wanted so badly to put her out of her misery as well. Now, Jeremy found himself once again at a loss for words. This time, the culprit came in the form of a young wolf, her lithe form lying curled on the rug by his favorite leather arm chair. The she wolf was asleep, head resting upon her paws as a faint whimper left her in dreams. It was a rarity in itself as he stepped forward, eyes narrowing slightly before a faint grin spread and made its way to his lips. Lying near her chest he spotted the remains of a rabbit, the creature looking nearly untouched save for its stiff form and matted fur around the base of the neck. Jeremy could feel the pride swelling in his chest at the sight. She’d made her first kill, bringing the carcass back as a trophy.

Kneeling down, Jeremy reached his hand out laying it upon her head, the motion caused her to stir, eyes cracking open as a yawn escaped her. It was almost strange though as she stared up at him, eyelids falling momentarily. He still remembered how she used to dread the idea of changing. Now, the change seemed to linger within her, holding on as she continued with her life in a generalized form of normalcy.

“Why have you not changed back?” Jeremy asked, brows furrowing slightly as he ran his fingers through her fur.

It wasn’t until she uncurled herself and picked up the rabbit that he fully understood. The woman had brought her very first kill as a peace offering of sorts. She was trying to reestablish a form of familiarity between them again, something that she felt had been lacking. It was a far greater thing for a young wolf to share its first kill though. It was a thing to be cherished.

~xXx~

When Celine woke up for the second time, it was to the sound of Logan’s voice. The man was on his phone talking to someone. In her mind, it sounded like he was coaching them through something. Once she had finally opened her eyes, she found that she was still in Jeremy’s company, her right arm wrapped around his right leg as her head lay in his lap. The alpha was asleep, face peaceful as he dozed undisturbed. Now, that she thought about it, she could make out the bags under his eyes. The man hadn’t slept well since bringing her back home, despite the calm façade that he put on. He’d spent every night either pacing or working in his studio if Celine wasn’t already there. If she was, then he spent his time down in the achieves, his tired hands thumbing through documents as he tried to figure out who had gone after them. What made matters worse was that he couldn’t seem to find an answer. More than likely, it was someone new, meaning all that they had to go by would be memory.

Unable to hold back, Celine let out a sneeze, nose scrunching up in frustration. The act alone caused Jeremy to stir, his blue eyes opening with a groan.

Blinking, Jeremy looked down, biting back a yawn as he stared down at her. He didn’t seem surprised in the slightest to find her still there, body bare beneath a fur throw. As he stared, Celine sat up, throw slipping form her shoulders. When she didn’t blush right away, he knew that she was slowly becoming accustomed with the nudity that accompanied her changes. It didn’t stop his eyes from wandering though, slowly taking in the sight of her bare skin, the slope of her breasts causing something inside of him to stir. It was a feeling that he wasn’t entirely accustomed to, heat raising in his chest. He’d admired many women in his day, but they were normally only a one time thing, only every lasting a couple of months if he was lucky. As Alpha, that life was never readily available to him, only existing at the back of his mind. He wasn’t allowed to have anything outside of a casual relationship. The consequences would have been more than he could bare. As a result, he had deliberately distanced himself from the fairer sex, allowing them to lead a life completely separate form his own. Elena had been different after the change, but she was Clay’s mate. Clay was the only one lucky enough to find someone to call his own, despite their current position in life. Now that he had Celine in front of him, he was starting to rethink things.

“You’re awake,” Jeremy mused, drawing his eyes away from the bareness of her body in an attempt to reclaim some of his dignity.

Slowly, Celine nodded her head, pulling the throw back up in order to cover herself. As a result, Jeremy had to stop himself from frowning, not wanting to embarrass her anymore than had had. Still, it was hard, watching her cover up the gorgeous body that she had, the fur sliding up to shield her breast as it sent a shiver through her spine.

“I…should get dressed,” she said softly, standing up with Jeremy’s help.

The moment she disappeared from the room, he found himself running a hand through his hair, a sigh escaping him. He had to get a hold of himself. As Alpha, he couldn’t afford distractions. At the same time though, he knew that no matter what he decided to do regarding his own affairs he’d eventually have to deal with the repercussions of his choices.

~xXx~

Outside, a voice ran out from the darkness, a smirk adorning the shadows’ face.

“It’s time for phase two.”

With that, the figure slowly fled into the trees, disappearing without a trace.


	13. Dead Girl

**To Run With The Rising Sun**

**Chapter 13**

**Dead Girl**

Three months later had found Celine still residing within Stone Haven’s walls, the young woman finally coming to terms with everything around her. For weeks, she’d kept to a treadmill up in her room. She’d become accustomed to walking or running at least ten miles every day, five in the morning and five in the evening. It was her way of keeping herself active outside of the routine changes that she went through about once a week, the wolf inside of her yearning to be let free.

Unfortunately, those three months had also been void of the rest of her family outside of Jeremy, the Alpha remaining with her indefinitely. She still received calls though, most of them coming from Nick as a means of checking in on his ‘sister’ as he had come to affectionately call her. She had found the gesture endearing, his words placing a smile on her face. He’d even sent her a few things over the few months that he’d acquired via his little escapades over seas.

One of the things that had become a favorite of hers though was a silver necklace that Nick had sent her. The pendant mimicked that of a Canterbury Cross, the precious metal adorning a piece of stained glass from an old Roman Catholic church. The item itself held a part of history, shining back in a gorgeous array of blues. Despite itself, the piece was simple, but unique with the selection of glass. As a result, Celine took to it right away, thanking the youngest Sorrentino the moment that it came for her in the mail.

It was things like that, ornate little trinkets, that Nicki sent her. Each one was different and special, the male deciding that she needed to be spoiled just a bit. Even so, she was left with a smile every time she receiving something in the mail, waiting to hear the next part of the story. Each piece had a tale to it that was connected with his travels and it left her yearning to join him. She’d never been over seas before, merely left with dreams of what it would be like. Her wall at this point was covered in postcards or the beautiful places he had traveled. He had promised her though that he would bring her along with him on a trip, provided that Jeremy approved of the idea.

Jeremy himself had taken to his art while the others had been absent, enjoying the quiet. He would still take time out of his day though to draw Celine into it, grabbing her attention for an opinion on a painting here and there. In those three months, he had sold two paintings, both abstracted landscapes that he had initially photographed. He had been slightly surprised though when Celine had opted to go with him to take pictures, the female swiping the camera from his hands to take a few of her own. A few times, she had even taken photos of him, saying that she wanted reference material for a piece of her own. He knew otherwise though, realizing slowly that she truly just enjoyed being with him, appreciation the outdoors as much as he did. Still, the kiss that they once shared was never repeated, merely leaving behind the memory of what had arose.

~xXx~

“Jeremy,” Celine called out, gently closing the front door behind her.

She’d just come back from the end of the drive, mail in hand. As per usual, there was another postcard for her to add to her little collection, her eyes skimming over the writing on the back. This one had come all the way from Spain, the front showing off the night time cityscape of Madrid. It made her toes curl for a moment as she removed her shoes, careful not to track any dirt through the house.

“Nicki sends his love,” she called out, knowing full well that he could hear her from upstairs.

As she said this, she continued looking through the small bundle of mail she made her way into the kitchen, shiver the parchment into one hand as she placed a tea pot on the front burner. She was craving tea this afternoon.

“Also,” she started, catching sight of one piece of mail in particular.

The familiar name was from a man that had commissioned a piece of art, Julien Robenkov being the name. The man was a long time patron of Jeremy’s, enjoying the man’s artistic skill. According to Jeremy, the man had at least a dozen of his works and was still craving more.

“Robenkov wants his painting.”

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Celine turned toward the doorway, watching as Jeremy made his way forward. He was wearing one of his normal dress shirts, sleeves rolled up as per usual minus the waistcoat. It was a style that suited him in her opinion, eyeing the muscles in his arm as he reached forward to pluck the piece of mail from her outstretched fingers.

“And how would you know this?” he asked, eyeing her momentarily as he easily tore into the top of the envelop.

“Because that’s what he said last week,” she pointed out, setting the rest of the mail down and grabbing a couple of mugs from the cabinet. “And the man loves to prod.”

Jeremy knew she was right as he scanned over the letter, a smirk adorning her lips as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. As he did this, he also took notice to the postcard that was sticking out of the small pile of mail.

“And I see that Nicholas sent you yet another postcard,” he said, reaching out and plucking it up from the table to take a look.

He had to admit that it was an admirable card, a decent pick in portraying the beauty of the city.

“Yes, he does know how I love them,” she smiled, moving around the kitchen as she prepared the table for tea.

“I see no package came this time,” he realized, glancing back at her as she glided across the other side of the room.

“Yes, such a shame,” her words came out as halfhearted and slightly sarcastic as a fake pout adorned her face.

True, she loved the gifts, but they were all materialistic in nature. She wasn’t overly big on material things, but she could always appreciate the sentiment. Like everything else though, she just wanted to live her life, which meant taking things one day at a time until she was passed it all.

“You don’t seem too disappointed,” Jeremy said, leaning against the kitchen table for a time.

“Yeah, well, next thing you know, he’ll be sending me a ring,” she laughed, a humorous smile on her face.

Unfortunately, she didn’t notice the slightly sour look on Jeremy’s face, her back turn to the alpha as she pulled the teapot from the stove. When she turned around, the look on his face was gone, leaving behind what she would consider his normal charming appeal. When she found him staring though, she felt heat rise up in her cheeks.

“Well, we wouldn’t want that, now would we?” Jeremy asked, a joking smile on his face.

“Is the painting even finished yet?” Celine questioned, pouring hot water into both of the mugs, steam rising to the top in little white spindles.

“Of course,” he nodded, intertwining his finger as he sat down. “It was done a week ago.”

The woman’s eyes widened in shock, not believing what she’d just heard. If it was done a week ago, then why hadn’t he sent it out? Instead, he’d held onto it, merely dragging things out.

“I merely like giving him a hard time every now and then,” he offered, a small grin pulling at his lips.

With a roll of her eyes, Celine shook her head. She’d never understand the minds of men, least of all, those of her pack.

“I’ll never understand you,” she muttered quietly, taking her cup in hand and moving out of the kitchen.

Jeremy chuckled as she left without even adding any sugar or honey, something that came quite normal for her to add. Instead, she merely walked out, muttering to herself as she went. He found it cute, following her with his eyes, blue orbs trailing over her hips as they swayed ever so slightly from her walk. Unconsciously, his eyes made their way to her behind, admiring it quietly.

“Jeremy?”

He blinked, snapping out of it as he looked up at her, hoping that he hadn’t been caught ogling. When he saw the look on her face, he knew that he was safe, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“Yes?” he asked, giving her his full attention.

“Would it be possible to go into town for a bit?” she asked, biting her lower lip. “I’d like to check in with Kelly,” she explained, hoping that he would say okay, seeing how she hadn’t seen her friend in weeks.

“Sure,” Jeremy nodded. “When would you like to go?”

 

~xXx~

It was with a smile on her face that Celine ran out the door, Jeremy following behind her as he locked up. He let a small smile form on his face as he watched her lithe form run across the lawn, twirling slightly. She was so excited to be getting out of the house for a bit, something that even he normally didn’t do. Granted, this also gave him a reason to pull his painting from his room, the piece tucked securely under his arm. He would stop at the post office before heading back, deciding that he’d made Julien wait long enough. After all, the man was paying him a generous amount of money for the piece, the thought of suggesting Celine’s work to him coming to mind. It would in fact give her a decent start, admitting that her work might be what Julien sell. Then again, it was hard to say until he sent out a few photos of her work, but that was only if she felt that her work was ready. If not, then he would find something else to do in the mean time until she felt it was adequate enough.

“Come on, Jeremy!” Celine called out, a smile on her face as she climbed into the car, her bright blue sweater slipping from her shoulder.

Chuckling, he moved toward his SUV, carefully placing the piece inside the back and closing the hatch.

“As you wish,” he said, bowing his head.

He heard her snort for a moment, a smirk pulling at his lips. It was hard to believe that she had so much energy, even after all the running that she did on the treadmill.

“So rambunctious today,” he chuckled, watching as she stuck her tongue out at him, before settling into her seat.

“Can you blame me?” she asked, listening as Jeremy put the SUV into gear and pulled out of the drive. “I haven’t seen her in weeks,” she pointed out. “Besides, its not like I’ve talked to Helen lately.”

A frown formed on her face as she said this, thinking back to her friend. She’d blatantly ignored the woman the last few times, merely because she didn’t want to talk and start something up. She only hoped that Helen could forgive her someday for everything that she’d put her through.

“You’re doing the right thing,” Jeremy assured her, already knowing why she’d been avoiding her female companion.

Granted, it wasn’t exactly the best option, but each person had their own way of dealing with things. By handling things the way that Celine was, she was protecting her friend. She didn’t want to take any chances and Jeremy could respect that.

“Although, you should likely call her eventually,” he pointed out. “If nothing else, than to keep face,” he explained, keeping his eyes on the road.

It was quiet for a few moments as they continued down the road, Celine mulling everything over in her head. How she wished to see her friend and explain everything to her. She wanted to stop the lying, but what else was she supposed to do. Besides, she’d never believe her even if she did tell her the truth, short of changing in front of her. Even then, it meant certain death, and that was not something that she was willing to put on her friend.

In confusion, Celine noticed Jeremy slowly down, brows furrowing as she looked out her window. She could make out the sheriff and a couple of other people from where she was, slowly turning toward Jeremy.

“What’s going on?” she asked, knowing full well that they were still on Danvers private property.

“I’m not sure,” he said quietly, pulling to a stop. “But I’m going to find out,” he assured her, pushing his door open, before sniffing the air.

Glancing over at Celine, he realized that she had smelt it too. The problem was, the smell was entirely new to the two of them.

“Stay close to me,” Jeremy instructed, slowly making his way toward the sheriff.

As they went, Celine heard what she assumed to be the deputy make a snide comment about Jeremy, the hairs on the back of her neck bristling protectively.

“Don’t start that,” the sheriff sighed. “They’re quiet, they keep to themselves. I’d prefer it if more people around here were like that,” she admitted, stuffing her hands in the pocket of her jacket.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” Jeremy asked, slowly coming to a stop in front of the sheriff.

His eyes trail from her to the deputy and back, before finally noticing the body on the forest floor. As he stood there, he could hear Celine take in a breath of air behind him, her hand coming to grip at the back of his brown leather jacket.

“Unfortunately, there’s not much anyone can do at this point, Mr. Danvers,” the woman addressed him politely, taking notice of Celine for a second. “Perhaps, you should go back to your vehicle miss,” the sheriff suggested, seeing the look on the younger woman’s face.

Carefully nodding his head, Jeremy turned toward her, giving her shoulder a light squeeze.

“Its alright, Celine, I’ll be there in a moment,” he said, before gesturing for her to head back to the SUV.

She hesitated for a moment, but nodded, making her way back over and away from the scene. It wasn’t really something that she needed to see anyway, the poor girl’s intestines hanging out and her neck slashed to bits.

“What do you think could have done that?” Jeremy asked, nodding toward the body.

“The coroner will rule cause of death,” the sheriff said.

“That’s an animal kill,” the man behind her piped up rudely, eyeing Jeremy with distaste.

“Deputy O’Neil, could you get the tarp out of the truck, please?” the woman asked, trying to ignore the hunter that stood behind her. “No one else needs to see this.”

With that, her deputy made his way back to their issues vehicle, leaving the three to themselves for a moment.

“Michael Braxton here tells me that he’d heard wolves up your way in the past,” she stated, looking up at him as she stood there.

“I don’t hunt up at Stone Haven, so I’m not entirely aware of what passes through,” Jeremy explained. “But yes, we’ve heard wolves as well.”

“Well, the coroner rules a wolf kill, I’m going to want to do a one mile sweep of this area,” she informed him. “Which will include your property by the way.”

“Of course,” Jeremy nodded. “Anything I can do to help.”

With that, Jeremy slowly backed away, making his way back toward were Celine was standing. She stood there, arms wrapped around herself in an attempt to keep warm, having been too stubborn to actually get inside of the car.

“Come on,” he said, opening the door for her and allowing her to climb in.

Once she was safely inside, Jeremy made his way back to the driver’s side, pulling his phone from his pocket and messaging Clay. It only took him a moment to respond, Jeremy’s phone ringing almost instantaneously.

“ _Hey, Jeremy, what’s up?_ ” she could hear Clay ask over the phone.

“There’s a mutt here,” Jeremy said with distaste, voice flat as he spoke to Clay. “A girl was killed.”

“ _I can be back in two hours_ ,” Clay said. “ _I’ll deal with it as soon as I get to Bear Valley_.”

“Come straight here,” Jeremy said, shaking his head slightly. “I’m calling everyone home.”

Celine sat quietly as she listened, her mind still going over the images that she had seen. That could have been her a few months ago had Jeremy not found her in time, a shiver running down her spine.

“ _I can handle it_ ,” Clay said, trying to get Jeremy to understand that he could do it on his own.

“Clay,” Jeremy’s voice came out firm and direct. “I want everyone here first.”

“ _Everyone?_ ” she heard Clay ask hesitantly.

“Just come home,” Jeremy ordered, before hanging up with a his.

His eyes trailed over her for a moment after that, noticing that she had her head turned down.

“Celine,” he spoke softly, reaching out and taking her hand in his. “You’re safe now. You know that, right?” he asked, watching as she turned her eyes up.

“It’s not that,” she whispered, looking out the window for a moment as the deputy placed the tarp over the girl’s body. “That could have been me.”

Upon hearing her speak, he realized what she was getting at. The sight of that girl brought back thoughts from the night that he’d stumbled upon her, scaring off the mutt that had dragged her off into the woods, beast intent on shredding her to pieces no doubt. There wasn’t a shred of doubt in his mind that she would have been left in the same position, tortured and killed.

“The difference is, that’s not you,” he said firmly. “You’re here, with me, safe.”

Hearing those words, she felt tear well up in her eyes, blinking in an attempt to hold them back. She knew that he was right. She was safe and she was with him, her alpha, a strong man that she respected and trusted with her life.

Jumping, Celine turned toward the passenger side window, noticing the deputy after he’d knocked on it.  Slowly, Jeremy lowered it to find out what he wanted.

“Can I help you?” Jeremy asked, his hand still wrapped around Celine’s.

“Yeah, I think it’s time you rolled on out of here,” O’Neil said bluntly.

“My apologies,” Jeremy said, inclining his head. “I had just finished making a call to my son about the situation at home, only to realize that this little experience had sent Celine’s stomach into a fit,” he explained carefully, rubbing a hand over the woman’s back as a guise.

In response, she lowered her head again, curling into herself a bit as she let out a convincing groan. The look on O’Neil’s face was priceless, a look of disgust forming at the mention of her possibly getting sick.

“Then I suggest you get her out of here,” he said, before backing away and heading back toward the sheriff.

Once he was far enough away, Celine sat up, a grin on her face.

“Well, that was fun,” she laughed, earning a smile from her alpha.

~xXx~

Once they had pulled up to the post office, Jeremy turned off the engine, sitting back for a moment in his seat as he closed his eyes. Scenarios were playing through his head on how to take care of things. For starts, he had a mutt that was killing on his property and drawing attention to his family. No doubt, by the time the investigation was over, they’d run them through. Secondly, he didn’t want Celine drawn back into the mess of their lives. Granted, she was a member of the pack, but she was finally happy with things again. No doubt, these upcoming events would drag her down a peg or two.

“Jeremy?” Celine piped up, voice causing his head to turn slightly in a tired manner. “It’ll be okay,” she said, her words pulling a breathy chuckle from his chest.

He was the one that was supposed to be reassuring her, not the other way around. Still, as he looked at her, he couldn’t help to notice how beautiful she looked in the natural light of the day. Her hair was pulled back slightly, a single braid falling to the side of her face. Her eyes looked like silver as the bit of light from the sun shone into the SUV, reflecting back at him. Her cheekbones were soft, the left side more prominent due to the unfortunate scarring of the skin, but she still looked just as beautiful as the night he first saw her. Instead, the slightly puffed skin gave her character, showing just how strong she truly was.

As Jeremy’s eyes came to her lips, they stopped, mind trailing back a few months ago. He could still remember the feel of them, the lips soft and supple, slightly pouty. They were pink with a ting of red that gave them an almost disturbing appeal to him. Most of all though, he was caught in the memory, his lips on hers as they shared something so simple and sweet. It’d been the first time in years that he’d felt the fire spark inside of him, warming him right to the bone. He’d felt similar things in the past, but nothing so raw and potent. It’d never been so strong with other women.

Closing his eyes, the alpha relaxed, exhaling in relief as he tried to expel his thoughts. He needed to keep himself on track just a bit longer, then maybe, just maybe, he’d decide what to do with her.

“You look tired,” Celine commented, opening the door as she stepped out, looking back at him.

It was his cue to get out of the car.

“I’ll be fine once we’ve returned home,” he told her. “Out in public isn’t exactly my place.”

This comment confused her, but she shook her head, making her way to the hatch of the SUV and popping it open. It hissed slightly as it lifted, revealing the painting that had been stuffed in the back. Carefully, she reached forward, pulling it from its place, Jeremy coming up along side her to help.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, before taking the painting from her. “Come along.”

~xXx~

It was a couple hours after Jeremy and Celine’s adventure to the post office that Clay finally arrived. He had been frustrated, trying to convince Jeremy to let him go out on his own to find the mutt, but the alpha wouldn’t budge. He wanted everyone there prior to continuing any sort of search. Celine had been surprised though when it had caused Clay to leave the house, the audible sound of him kicking the side of the house coming to her ears. It was like he was throwing a tantrum of sorts.

At the moment, Celine was sitting in one of the chairs in the living room, the light outside already having grown dark due to the time she’d spent inside of the house. It didn’t really bother her though, merely waiting for Nicki and Antonio to arrive. She’d been told that they had left immediately after Jeremy made the ‘call’ to everyone. She already knew that Logan would have to wrap things up at home first before coming though, having to label it as a family emergency or something. After all, it wasn’t like they could say that they were leaving in order to deal with a werewolf or anything.

Letting out a small yawn, Celine nuzzled further into the seat, Clay coming up behind her and dropping a blanket on top of her head.

“Hey!” she cried out in surprised, pulling the blanket off of her head and fixing her book.

Clay merely smirked as he stood there, daring her to retaliate.

“Jerk!” she narrowed, but it only lasted a few moments before she burst out laughing.

How she had missed having him around. If she were honest, she missed having everyone around. It gave her something to do and people to talk to outside of just speaking with Jeremy.

“You’re just mad because I snuck up on you,” he pointed out, barely dodging the pillow that was chucked at him. “Come on, you can do better than that,” he taunted, listening as a small growl erupted from her throat.

“You really want to start?” Celine asked, carefully setting her book down on the table, pages forgotten as she stepped toward Clay.

The latter gestured her closer, smirking the whole time as he circled around the little coffee table. He knew what he was doing and he wanted to see how much better she had gotten in his absence.

Moments later, she was leaping across the table aiming to tackle him. He side stepped as she tumbled on the floor, leg swinging out in an attempt to knock his legs out from underneath of him. He was quicker though, hopping out of the way and throwing his leg down at her. He was surprised though when she’d reacted by grabbing it, digging her nails in before pulling harshly and sending him to the ground.

Next thing he knew, she was straddling him, a confident smirk on her face.

“Had enough?” she asked.

He snorted in response, flipping them over, only to have her twist beneath him and catching him in his thigh, barely missing his privates. This gave her enough time to get out of his hold and place him in a choke hold, arms wrapped around his neck.

Clay grunted as he stood up, stumbling toward the foyer. He had his eyes closed as she tried to grab at her fingers to pry her loose, coming up empty handed as she kept them out of his way.

“Well, would you look at that.”

They both looked up at the sound of the voice, finding Nicki and Antonio in front of them. The former had a smirk on his face as he examined Clay, noticing the hold that Celine had him in. It wasn’t often that Clay was left without a way to break free.

“Nicki!” Celine cried out, hopping down and moving toward him.

The male walked around his father to greet her, wrapping his arms around her as he spun her around.

“Celine. You gorgeous little minx,” he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear as he held her close. “Here, I got you something,” he said, pulling a little box from his jacket pocket.

It was wrapped in gold colored paper, a string attached.

“Nicki, I told you not to get me anything else,” Celine said, raising a brow at him as she took it in her hands.

“Just open it,” Nick pushed.

“Well, now that he’s taken care of,” Antonio chuckled, opening his arms wide for Clay.

The younger man stepped into his arms, clapping him on the back affectionately, before the two turned toward the youngest two in the room. They watched as Celine let out a gasp, before looking toward Nick.

“Nick,” she breathed out, looking down at the ring that he’d presented her. “Seriously?” she asked, before smacking him in the chest, only to receive a chuckle in return.

Inside the little box lay a small silver ring, the metal twisting in knots near the center. A sapphire lay in the center of it, shining in the light of the foyer.

“Come on, it’s not like I’m proposing or anything,” Nicki laughed, only to receive another smack in the chest. “It’s a promise ring.”

Narrowing her eyes, Celine turned toward Antonio, eyeing the man.

“Did you know about this?” she asked, holding the ring out in frustration.

“No, of course not,” he said, before smiling at her. “It is a nice gesture though.”

“Idiots!”

With that, they watched as she walked up the stairs to her room, the group laughing as she went.

“Quite laughing,” she barked out.

“Alright,” Antonio started, glancing toward the stairs a moment more as he heard her bedroom door shut. “So, where’s Jeremy?”

“He’s downstairs,” Clay replied, glancing up at the stairs as well.

He was still kind of confused about Celine’s reaction to Nicki’s gift, but he shrugged it off, following after Antonio as he made his way downstairs. Once they’d made it to the basement, Jeremy and Antonio made a friendly exchange.

“You look good,” Jeremy expressed, before moving to Nick. “Nick,” he smiled, wrapping his arms around the young man. “Welcome back.”

After a moment, he asked the question he’d been wondering due to the previous commotion upstairs.

“Might I ask what all the fuss was about upstairs?” he questioned, looking at the lot.

“Nick gave her a ring,” Clay said flatly as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“A ring?” Jeremy questioned, expression deadpanning as he looked at the youngest Sorrentino. “And what was the purpose of such gesture?”

“It’s just a ring,” Nick shrugged. “I saw it in a shop on the way to pick Dad up and I couldn’t resist.”

“I see,” Jeremy nodded, turning back to the scroll that he’d originally pulled.

Sensing the tension, Antonio decided to move the conversation elsewhere. If anything, talking about the true reason they were there would noticeably fix the tension that had been brought on.

“So, what do you know?” Antonio asked.

“It looked like a wolf kill,” Jeremy said, crossing arms over his chest. “The coroner will determine that soon enough, but…” he paused for a moment, pursing his lips. “I could smell it was not merely a wolf.”

“This is the second time this year we’ve run into something like this,” Antonio said grimly.

“That’s what I’m worried about,” Jeremy sighed. “I don’t want anything that might come back on Celine,” he voiced. “After all, someone out there already knows of her existence.”

“Yeah, but,” Nicki started, before closing his mouth when he saw the look on Jeremy’s face. “Wait, you don’t think it’s the same people do you?”

It was quiet for a moment as the four of them stood there. That was just it, the thought bouncing around in the alpha’s head. Could this mutt be part of that group? It was too soon to be just a coincidence. The first ones hadn’t been a group with a familiar scent either and they had used that to their advantage when they’d taken her. Now, another unknown mutt had appeared, killing without any sort of remorse. Even worse, the beast was merely killing because it could, it was killing for sport. This in itself was a crime punishable by death.

“I have a feeling,” Jeremy replied solemnly. “I only hope that I’m wrong.”

“I don’t get it though,” Antonio sighed. “Why, after all this time?”

His question was valid. Prior to Celine’s change, there was no sign of mutt activity anywhere near the property for years. Then, suddenly out of the blue, they had two incidents within a years time.

“Alright, who’s at the top of the shit list?” Nicki asked.

“That’s the problem,” Jeremy breathed out. “It’s someone I’ve never smelt before, like last time.”

Clay was quiet as he mulled things over in his head. He was trying to think of anyone that they might have run across in the past that would be pissed off at them enough to be running this. He had busted Kane the prior year, but he wasn’t smart enough to be taking the reins on something like this.

“Why are they bringing it to our attention though?” Clay finally asked, looking over at Jeremy.

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is the kill itself,” he pointed out. “Whoever it is, they’re killing for sport and they have to pay for that.”

“So, what’s the plan then?” came Antonio’s final question as he looked toward his alpha.

“I’ve called everyone home,” Jeremy answered, glancing at each individual. “We’ll deal with this as a pack.”

“All of us?” Nicki asked skeptically, one particular pack member in mind.

“Everyone comes home,” Jeremy said with finality in his voice. “Peter, Logan…”

“Elena?” Nicki asked, adding the last name that he knew Jeremy was hesitating on.

The latter looked at Clay momentarily, gauging the expression on his face. The look proved to show the anxiety he was feeling at the mention of Elena’s name, waiting for Jeremy to confirm it.

“Yes, Elena,” Jeremy nodded.

“It’s been years since she left,” Antonio reminded him. “She hasn’t shown any signs of coming back.”

“Pete and Logan will talk to her,” Jeremy assured him, trying his best to avoid Clay’s gaze.

He knew how on edge the conversation was putting him on. After all, he hadn’t been allowed to see her since she’d left and everyday was like a nail in his back. If it hadn’t been for Jeremy’s orders to stay away, he’d have gone after her the moment that she’d left. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case and he’d been confined to Stone Haven.

“And if she doesn’t come?” Clay asked.

“She’s our best tracker and she knows it.”

With that, Jeremy made to leave the room, pausing a he placed a hand on Clay’s shoulder.

“She’ll come,” he assured him. “She’ll come.”


	14. Washed Away

**To Run With the Rising Sun**

**Chapter 14**

**Washed Away**

The following day left Jeremy thinking on a great many things. He was left dwelling on the mutt, what he would do about Elena, how Clay would deal with finally having his mate back in reach, what he would do about the sheriff, and even what he’d do about Celine. He was still a little off kilter when he’d heard about Nick’s little gift to Celine. Despite everything, he just couldn’t get it out of his head. Even though he knew it was merely a trinket of the young man’s affection, he couldn’t let it go, a wave of jealousy washing over him. He couldn’t remember the last time that he’d been jealous, much less due to a woman. Then again, he knew that Celine wasn’t any mere woman. The scene from the previous night was still fresh in his head.

~xXx~

_It was quiet when Jeremy had finally headed upstairs, finishing up with the others. He knew that he’d have to wait for the others to get to Stonehaven before anything else could be discussed toward devising a plan. It was a plan in which he wasn’t sure about Celine’s place._

_Yes, she was a member of the pack, but he wasn’t sure how far he truly wanted to involve her. She’d already been through enough and she didn’t need to be dragged back into it. Granted, he also realized that at this point she was probably their fastest runner. If said mutt tried to get away, she was their best bet at capturing him and catching him off guard. This knowledge had been backed up by Logan sometime after their shared run when she’d made her first kill. Logan had explained that he’d never seen anyone as quick as her, the woman easily weaving in and out of the brush as she kept tails on her pray._

_With the relatively short time that she’d been in their lives, she’d come a long way, finally grasping the change itself and coming to terms with it. She didn’t hide from it anymore, no longer fearing its outcome. At first, it had terrified her, the mere thought sending a tremor through her body. Now, it was a natural part of her life, something that she had come to embrace. With that in mind, he knew that she’d be more of an asset to them than a liability, but his thoughts still remained._

_Quietly, Jeremy came to stand outside her door, fingers grasping at the remaining buttons of his waistcoat. He’d thought about going to bed, but something had called him to her room, a silence falling upon him. From where he stood, he could her breathing, the sound low in steady. Had she fallen asleep?_

_Carefully, Jeremy knocked on the door, waiting for a moment._

_“Celine?”_

_When he received no answer, he turned the handle, pushing the door open. He was thankful when it didn’t squeak, knowing that most of the doors on the property were due to be lubricated. What he saw next made him stop, something tugging in the pit of his stomach._

_In front of him, Celine was laid out on her stomach, hair splayed around her. Her right arm was curled under the pillow, while the left lay on top of it. From the angle he was at, he could see the left side of her face. The scarring still showed on her face clearly, the scaring marring the skin. It saddened him to see it, but he knew there was nothing to be done. Still, he didn’t feel that it took away from her beauty, slowly stepping forward._

_What was he doing? He didn’t even know why he was really even there._

_Gazing down at her he thought back to that night, the beating of his heart remembering the sweet connection that they’d shared. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, it was still there. He could feel the warmth rise in his chest, her fingers against his skin. As he closed his eyes, he could still see her sitting in front of him, skin bare. Her eyes were open and readable, lips slightly pursed. She was beautiful, despite her ordeal._

_Swallowing the lump in his throat, Jeremy glanced around her room, his eyes trailing over the things that she’d picked up over the time of her stay. Nick had sent her so many little bits and bobs that it nearly made him sick. She had a whole shelf lined with them, realizing her strange obsession with the tiny objects, no two the same. When he thought about the true uniqueness of them all though, it actually made him smile. Like them, no two wolves were the same. Even more so were the two women that were a part of his pack._

_Trailing his eyes over her body, Jeremy realized the subtle features this woman held, carefully lowering himself down on the side of the bed. Her hair was a rich dark brown, the color of dark chocolate. Her skin was light, but not as pale as Elena’s had been originally. Her lips were turned into a faint pout, mouth pressed lightly against the puffy fabric of the pillow as it attempted to distort his few of her face._

_Reaching out, Jeremy gently ran the back of his fingers against her cheek, lips pursing ever so slightly. He almost forgot how soft her skin was. Still, his brows knitted together as he traced the line above her brow and down across her jaw. The mutts had done so much damage, the skin still pink from the burns and blisters. He still blamed himself for the pain that she’d been left to endure. As Alpha, he was responsible for the members of his pack. When one became hurt, he took it to heart, even more so if it was a result of an attack set against him in particular. Too many times had others come after his family merely to spite him. His father had been one of them, his unruly followers acting out once Jeremy had taken the place of Alpha. They’d felt that it was their place to challenge him, attempting to put him out in the rain all together and exile him as he’d done his own father._

_Jeremy turned his attention back to Celine when he heard her groan, her face scrunching up momentarily as a phantom pain wrecked through her. He watched as she twitched, fingers curling in her sleep as she pawed at her face. No doubt, she was dreaming of her passed torment, hinting of the painful experience reacting on its own._

_“Celine,” he whispered, reaching out and grasping her shoulder in his hand._

_It took a moment, but after a few light shacks, he managed to pull her from her sleep. There was a look of confusion on her face as she laid there, blinking away the fog of sleep. Again, he watched as the side of her face twitched, the nerves in the side of her face acting on their own. It was something that he’d noticed every now and then, something that she wasn’t really able to control._

_“Jeremy?” she groaned, sleeping pulling at her again as she laid there, trying to keep her eyes open._

_“You were dreaming,” he said quietly, stroking her hair lightly, the long brown strands skimming her shoulder._

_“I was…” she paused, trying to focus her eyes. “They wouldn’t…”_

_Her mind couldn’t seem to place the words, coherent thought almost nonexistent as she laid there, eyes closing. She was fighting a losing battle as she tried to stay away, the call for sleep too strong. Her body was fighting her as it started to shut itself back down again._

_“It’s alright. We’ll talk tomorrow,” he promised her. “Sleep now.”_

_Ushering her back to sleep, Jeremy pulled the blanket up over her shoulder. She looked so innocent, eyes falling shut as she let out a tired moan, curling up against her pillow once more. It was like a child, the peak of innocence as it held tight to childhood. She held tight to the pillow, fingers curling along the edges. She was beautiful._

~xXx~

Antonio watched from the house as Clay, Celine, and his son fooled around outside, tag teaming one another. They were training again, pushing Celine as they advanced on each other. Practice was important for a wolf, Antonio realizing just how far the she wolf had come over time. While they were gone, Jeremy had trained with her a bit. Still, it had mostly been Clay, went ever the young male was available to come back home.

“Come on, Celine, keep up,” Clay instructed, throwing a punch her way.

The woman ducked, dropping to the ground on her hands and lashing out with her feet. She managed to clip his ankle, much to Antonio’s surprise. He watched as she flipped back up into place, wheeling away from Clay, and swiping at Nick’s exposed side.

“Hey!” the young Sorrentino cried out, catching her ankle and twisting it.

Celine let herself be flipped, balancing her weight and landing gracefully on her feet.

“Pay attention!” she barked out, faking a lung to the right and catching him at his left.

She anchored her ankle between his legs and pulled, watching as he went down and rolled, catching himself in a tumble.

Antonio found himself smiling as he continued to watch, the three of them seeming to be so full of energy. He remembered what it was like to be that young, a time when both he and Jeremy were running around like the rest of them, merely play fighting as they honed their skills. Even now, Jeremy was still at the top of his game, but there was no need for such practice as he made his job the responsibility of running the pack and keeping up with the affairs of the other packs around the world. It was a busy job and left little time for play and pleasure.

“Heads up!” Clay called out, tossing a heavy stone their way deliberately.

Celine caught it midair, twisting around and tossing it back while flipping over top of Nick, the back of her foot sending him stumbling forward as she managed to stay on her feet. They were working on her agility among other things. Her reaction time was amazing, the same with her speed. Antonio now knew what Jeremy was talking about. The Alpha had spoken of her amazing speed, watching as she seemed to almost glide around effortlessly, dodging hits left and right. He was tempted to see what would happen if they presented her with an obstacle course.

The two males came upon her at once, a faint look of surprise on her face. She managed to let herself fall backwards, using Clay’s momentum to her advantage as it allowed her to propel herself out of the way with a tumble. Nick leapt over top of the other male, swiping at Celine’s side with his foot. Again, she dodged, knocking his foot to the side and spinning him around. Clay had taken this moment to advance on her again, only to have Nick shoved his way. He moved to the side though and Nick stumbled, panting as he tried to catch his breath.

“You need to learn to go on the offensive side a little more,” Nick pointed out.

“I think you’re just getting tired of her outsmarting you,” Clay chuckled as he and Celine continued to circle around one another, hands up and ready to fight.

Clay was taking his time, eyeing her movements and recording them for future reference. She’d gotten better in his absence, faster even as she continued to push herself every day on the treadmill. Every now and then she would increase her speed, building up more and more stamina as time went by. It had also kept her muscles in shape, legs strong and flexible.

Sighing, Nick sat down on the porch, looking up at his father for a moment. The elder Sorrentino had been watching them spar for a while now, watching move after move. No doubt, he was itching for a little fun of his own.

“How long has it been?” Nick asked, looking back out at his pack sister.

“Too long my son,” Antonio replied, slowly removing his tie.

Nick grinned as he watched his father remove his jacket, folding it and laying it on a chair by the door. It’d been a while since he’d seen his father spar, knowing that it was going to be an interesting show.

“Why don’t I have a go?” Antonio suggested, offering the option to the young she wolf.

Celine eyed him for a moment, looking over at Clay. The gruff male nodded, backing off and heading over to sit down beside Nicky, his shirt long forgotten at this point.

“Now, why don’t we see how quick you really are?” Antonio smirked.

Before she could blink, Antonio had lashed out, hands flying toward her face. Her arms went up automatically in defense, block his advances. With every block another followed, hands flying left and right. She stepped to the left, avoiding a hit and spun to the side when he sent a roundhouse kick her way, pushing off with the palms of her hand. Quickly, Celine propelled herself forward, ducking under his open arm. Her knee was sent sailing, catching him in the stomach. Her victory was short lived though as he latched onto her leg, twisting around and sending her flying across the yard.

“Shit,” she hissed, rolling just short of one of the open cellar units.

“Not bad,” Antonio called out. “You’re definitely fast, but…” he paused, walking over to her and holding out a hand. “You have to realize that you won’t be able to dodge everything.”

She took his hand, allowing him to help her up. Her muscles were screaming at her at this point. She’d been sparing for at least an hour, her breath coming out in spurts. She hadn’t trained that much in a while, the thrill of it almost overwhelming. Like before, Clay had mentioned the thrill, finally starting to understand it. She almost didn’t want to stop, but realized the need to rest was a bit greater a point.

“Maybe we should set up an obstacle course?” Nicky suggested.

“You gonna run it?” Celine jabbed, wiping the sweat from her brow.

“Only if you join me,” Nicky teased, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

“You’re such a flirt,” she laughed.

“Hey!”

~xXx~

Walking back inside, the group headed their separate ways. Clay had left to go into town, Nicky going with him. Antonio had disappeared downstairs to look through the archives, leaving Celine by herself. Making her way upstairs, she was nearly surprised when she ran into Jeremy, quite literally actually.

“Sorry,” she bit out, startled as she steadied herself.

Jeremy merely smiled at her, hands on her shoulders as he held her in place after the collision. Her hair had fallen to the side, the strands a tangled mess at this point due to all of the sparring. She’d been heading to the shower when they’d run into one another, sweat still beading at her skin.

Looking her over, Jeremy realized that she was practically glowing, her body still out of breath after the extensive exercise. It was something that she wasn’t used to, but was still rather good at. She’d come a long way, picking up bits and pieces as she went. She was a quick learner, something that could very well save her life someday. In fact, it was something that had already saved both of their lives, the fact that she’d learned how to push her transformation forward when she was in need of it. It wasn’t something that was easily attained among newly turned wolves. Then again, she’d been in a better learning environment than most, helping her to get a grasp on her new abilities.

“I was just headed for the shower,” she told him, biting down on her lower lip as she watched him.

“Indeed,” he nodded, momentarily combing back a section of her hair.

It left the left side of her wide open, the skin a little redder at the moment due to all the exertion of sparring.

“You should put some more lotion on this,” Jeremy pointed out, trailing a finger over her jaw.

Celine stilled upon feeling his touch on her face, swallowing as he touched the scar. Even though it had healed up a bit, she was still self-conscious about it, viewing it as an ugly blemish. She hated looking at herself in the mirror, almost avoiding the act itself all together. She caught his wrist when his fingers grazed the spot below her eye, the area still tender to the touch.

He was a little shocked when she held tightly to his wrist, keeping it from furthering its venture along her skin. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy the feeling of his hand against her skin, but she hated the reminder of what was resting there. Even with the warmth that seemed to soak into the old wound, she still couldn’t bring herself to let it be touched.

“Please don’t,” she begged, closing her eyes for a second, before slowly letting go of his wrist.

Jeremy was quiet as they stood there, the Alpha gazing down at her. He didn’t know what to say to her to make it better, her eyes trailing to the side. He hated seeing the pained look in her eyes.

“I’m….going to go take that shower,” she said quietly.

Her voice was what snapped him back into reality, allowing her to move around him. It worked only long enough to let her watch as she disappeared down the hall and through the door, the sound of it clicking into place echoing as it closed.

~xXx~

Her hands shook slightly as she stood in the bathroom, reflection staring back at her in the mirror. Gray blue eyes stared back at her, tears shining. She didn’t know why it even bothered her, having him touch her as he had. He wasn’t doing any harm. He was her Alpha no less, a strong, caring man that would do anything to protect his family. Jeremy would never hurt her.

Slowly, Celine began removing her clothes, reaching in and turning on the water. It ran for a moment, before steam began rising into her vision, spiraling up toward the ceiling. She didn’t even hesitate as she stepped into the shower, the water soaking her hair as it ran down her body, beating against her back. Closing her eyes, she let out a sigh and leaned back, letting the water curtain around her eyes.

The fight with Clay and Nick had allowed her to unwind. When Antonio had joined in, she’d felt a surge power, a pressure to prove herself to the elder man. She’d sparred with Clay many times, even Nicky, but never his father Antonio. She’d even sparred with Jeremy, her Alpha going over how to properly utilize her skills. Sometimes, she feared that she liked the thrill sparring gave her just a little too much. Still, she couldn’t help, but to smirk at the image of knocking Nicky on his ass. It almost made it all worth it.

Running her hands through her hair, she scrubbed, slowly embedding the shampoo in and against her scalp. Her nails scraped at the dirt, breaking it away with ease. Spending the little bit of time that she did in the shower was always relaxing. She nearly winced though when a bit seeped into her eye, blinking as she tried to rid herself of the pain. It had slid down the side of her scalp and along her jaw after making contact, dripping and collecting at her collarbone. With a groan, she submerged her head beneath the torrent of water, eyes screwed shut as the stream washed everything away. She only wished that other things could be washed away as easily.

~xXx~

It was around three o’clock that they all heard it. Their ears could hear the rumbling of a motor, tires spinning as the sound made its way up the private drive. Peeking through the window, Nicky cursed in frustration, looking over at Jeremy. The latter walked over, glancing outside, before letting out a sigh. It was the Sheriff.

“Let me deal with this,” he said firmly, straightening his waistcoat as he made his way to the door.

The group knew that eventually, the Sheriff would be back with the autopsy results. It also meant that they’d likely found out that it was a wolf kill, something that the pack was already painfully aware of.

Celine watched as Clay followed after his ‘father’, only going as far as the front porch. She trailed behind him, Nicky, and Antonio following as well. They all stood there as Jeremy made his way across the gravel drive to the SUV, shoulders back and head held high. He wanted to give his best, no matter what the information was that the Sheriff was imparting to them.

“Do you think they found anything out?” Celine asked, looking up at Clay as he stood beside her.

The elder merely looked down at her, his jaw taut as he chewed on her words. Unfortunately, he already knew the answer. The problem was, he didn’t like thinking about the possible aftermath that this could end up causing them. He didn’t want anyone going around and poking their noses in things where they didn’t belong.

“They’re not stupid,” he told her, turning to look back out toward where Jeremy had stop.

The Sheriff was getting out of the car and stepping out onto the old pavement, closing the door firmly behind her. She had a grave look on her face as she addressed Jeremy.

“I, uh, thought you’d want to know. The coroner confirmed it was a wolf kill.”

Nicky cursed quietly, biting his thumb at the Sheriff’s words.

“The locals are calling for a bounty, but wolf hunting it illegal in this state so we’re asking folks to just keep an eye out and, uh…”

The Sheriff paused, looking behind Jeremy as she finally took notice of the other. It was obvious that they were as uncomfortable as she was. In all reality, she didn’t even want to be there, respecting them and their property more than other did given the fact that they never caused any trouble for anyone.

“…report any sightings. Now that the wolf had a taste for blood it’s gotta be caught and put down.”

Standing there, the group couldn’t agree more, still listening intently from where they were standing.

“Well, we could put traps up along the property line,” Jeremy offered, gesturing out toward the trees.

“Traps and would be hunters…dangerous combination,” the Sheriff mused.

“Celine, maybe we should go inside,” Nicky suggested, hinting mainly toward her as Jeremy and the Sheriff continued to talk, agreeing that traps would then be a bad idea.

“No,” she said, shaking her head and hiding behind Clay.

She didn’t want to go back inside until Jeremy had made his way back toward them. She wanted to keep an eye on her Alpha, not abandon him. They didn’t need to sit long though as the two finished up, the Sheriff wishing Jeremy a good day, before climbing back into her vehicle.

“Great,” Nicky sighed. “Trigger-happy hunters and a killer mutt.”

“It won’t end well,” Antonio surmised, watching as Jeremy kept a watchful eye on the Sheriff until she’d made her way back down the drive.

“We need Elena,” Nicky said flatly.


	15. Elena

**To Run With the Rising Sun**

**Chapter 15**

**Elena**

For the last two days, Celine had noticed how restless Jeremy had been. It was odd, seeing him pacing when he thought that no one was looking. Even how on occasion, Celine would find him playing with the buckles of his waistcoat absently. It was starting to drive her nuts, especially, since she wasn’t allowed to go for runs on her own given the situation. Running on the treadmill could only suffice for so long. She needed to feel the grass beneath her paws and the wind in her fur.

“Jeremy,” she whined, hands clasped behind her back as she made her way toward him. “Can we please go outside?”

Jeremy regarded her for a moment, pursing his lips in thought.

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea right now,” he voiced, the pen in his hand scratching away at paper.

He’d been sitting in his chair, sketching from a couple of photos that he’d taken in an attempt to keep his mind off of things.

“Please?” she begged, getting down on her knees in front of him. “I promise, I’ll stay right beside you,” she promised, her small hands gripping lightly at his free one. “I _need_ to run.”

Hearing this, Jeremy sighed. He knew that she was right, the wolf inside her begging to run free if only for an hour. Still, he was hesitant. Hunters were just outside his property, the annoying pests nosing around where they shouldn’t. He hated having trespassers on his land. It didn’t help matters that they had a rouge wolf running around putting everything that he’d worked for in jeopardy.

Looking up at the ceiling for a moment, he let his shoulders go slack. He could see the look of glee in her eyes out of the corner of his vision, already knowing that he’d just consented.

“Thank you!” she exclaimed, hugging him around the neck.

He was momentarily caught off guard by this given her recent behavior. Even the childish attitude that she sometimes had with her personality. He was slowly starting to realize that perhaps this was her true self, someone that was easy going and full of life. She was supposed to be smiling and laughing, enjoying herself as things were, she was supposed to be embracing the new world around her as a wolf. Innocent in nature to a degree was a way to look at it, even though he knew that the innocent aspect had left her long ago, even before he’d met her. It was only now that after all these years, she was finally allowing herself to be her true self again, something that she’d hidden so well.

“But,” Jeremy finally piped up, watching as she stilled herself, ears listening intently. “If I tell you to run, you run. Understood?”

He watched as she nodded her head slowly, biting at her lower lip.

“Yes, Jeremy,” she said, acknowledging his order.

Slowly, he stood from his chair, laying his work down on the coffee table. He straightened his clothes momentarily out of habit, before turning toward her.

“Let’s go for a run.”

~xXx~

It was with a small yip that Celine ran beside Jeremy, her tongue lolling to the side. She still hadn’t fully gotten used to seeing the others change in front of her, but allowing the change to take place inside of her was another story. True, it was still painful, but now it was more of a freeing pain. It allowed her a new lease on life in a way, something that she could look to for peace.

Keeping pace, the two trotted through the woods, ears open for any possible intrusions. So far, they found none, continuing on their way. Celine on the other hand had taken to sniffing the ground, her nose picking up on a particular scent. Her tail was wagging back and forth as she went, Jeremy following behind her to make sure that she didn’t get into trouble. He knew that as a newly turned, she’d still be excitable and possibly easily distracted until she could get a proper grip on things. Still, he found it amusing as he watched her track, his nose picking up the scent of a deer. It meant that she was paying attention, a sense of pride welling up inside of him.

The farther they went, Jeremy began to realize that she was having trouble keeping up with the scent. It had been muddled up over the past day, a light rain catching the estate. Still, she kept pushing forward in an attempt to track the thing, nose hard pressed to the ground like a basset hound. She didn’t want to give up just yet. It was something that he could appreciate, but still made him realize the stubbornness that she held.

After about 15 minutes or so, Celine let out a whine, finally laying down out of frustration. A section of the ground had been washed away, practically clearing the scent completely. It was obviously upsetting for her, the older of the two moving forward and nudging her lightly with his nose. He then nipped at her, licking and pressing at her ear with his snout.

Celine turned and yipped at him, rolling over onto her back playfully as she rubbed her back against the ground. Her tail flipped to the side, the fur brushing his hind leg. Slowly, Jeremy moved closer, grunting as he walked over top of her and then circled around. He sniffed the air. Hunters were in the area, but still far enough away that they didn’t have to worry about anything just yet.

Gently, he nudged her head with his snout, licking lightly at her face. Again, she yipped, pulling away when he’d caught the left side of her face. It was as it had been before, the fear of her scar being touched winning out. Even in her wolf form, he could still see the damage that had been done, a chunk of fur missing where it had yet to grow back around the area. As a result, he knew that it had to have been something laced with silver, the utensil that they used to burn her.

Usually, one could touch silver, but if it was used in torture or bullets, the material was painful and could prove fatal. It was for this reason that most wolves steered clear of it all together, saving themselves the possible torment that could be brought with it. Jeremy was a bit more lenient with it, but it was still subject to debate. He was very careful of what he allowed in his home and where it was kept.

He watched as Celine moved away from him momentarily, tail now tucked between her legs. Obviously, she was afraid of upsetting him with the way that she’d responded to his ministrations. It wasn’t something that he took to heart though, moving toward her again, before reaching his paw out and brushing the top of her head. Slowly, she laid down in front of him, her belly exposed. It was a sign of submission, something that he could appreciate as Alpha. It meant that she knew her place, despite everything. Even though she hadn’t been born into it like some of the others, instinct was still ingrained into her system.

Exhaling, he walked over top of her before turning around, circling slightly at her head as he went to sit. Whatever grass was there bowed at his weight, bending as his paws pressed into the ground. Her stomach was still exposed as she laid there, grunting and nudging one of his paws. It was amusing to watch, having her ‘suck up’ to him for her behavior. Still, he would never be able to hold it against her. She was strong and willful, pressing forward against her problems. At least that’s what he thought anyway. She didn’t feel that strong though.

Finally having enough of rolling around, Celine finally rolled over after a while, a breeze floating in through the trees. The scent of humans followed and she found herself sitting up, nose to the air. Jeremy smelled the same thing, eyes and ears alert. The smell was stronger than before, closer.

Slowly standing, Jeremy glanced down at Celine, nudging her to do the same. It wouldn’t be safe for them much longer if they stayed, moving around her toward a section of brush. He could smell the pungent smell of alcohol, the scent making him cringe. Drunks were bad enough on their own, but make it a drunk hunter during the day no less, it was even worse.

It was then that they finally heard it, the sound of misplaced shots being fired. The sound itself was all it took for Celine to flinch, the she wolf biting back a startled yelp in fear. Seeing her distress, Jeremy grabbed her by the scruff of her neck before she could bolt, wanting to make sure that she didn’t run off without him. Sadly, he knew that if he hadn’t, then she would have run. Loosening his hold with his teeth, the Alpha tugged, gesturing to follow. It didn’t take much for her to oblige, quickly following behind him as she ran.

~xXx~

The rumble of misplaced gravel sounded in the distance as a car came rolling up the drive. The driver slowed before coming to a stop. The man inside paused as he glanced at the symbol at the gate. He knew that this was the Danvers property, a twinge of unease running through him as he glanced at the passenger in the back seat. He could count on one hand the number of times he’d driven out this way, normally being instructed not to go any further. Not that he really wanted to anyway, but he wasn’t about to tell the woman that. There were too many unnerving stories about the place.

“You sure you’re okay here?” he asked, running a hand through his hair as he turned in his seat to face her.

The woman merely nodded her head, letting him pop the trunk of the car as she got out. She wasted no time in closing the door behind her as she grabbed her suitcase from the back, slamming the lid of the trunk back into place moments later. She didn’t say anything as she stood there, her hands curling around the handle of her luggage.

“Thanks for the ride,” she said dismissively, her eyes trained ahead of her.

The sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could return to her life.

~xXx~

“Elena.”

To say she was stunned was an understatement. She hadn’t been expecting to see Clay right away, her mind having wished for either Jeremy or one of the Sorrentino’s.

“Clay,” she nodded in greeting.

Her voice was clipped as she spoke, though her eyes looked him over. He was still brawny as ever, the muscles in his arms showing where he’d rolled the sleeves of his plaid shirt up to his biceps. His hair was a bit longer, pieces falling and framing his face where he hadn’t brushed it out of the way, and the look in his eyes seemed to gleam in the sun. All in all, he hadn’t really changed. At the same time, she felt that having not changed was the problem.

“Where’s Jeremy?” she asked, shifting the weight of her bag on her shoulder as she moved to brush passed him.

“He’s around,” he answered, reaching out behind her in an attempt to take her things from her hands.

Elena backed away from him at this, her eyes narrowed in agitation. She could handle herself. She didn’t need his help, not with this, not anymore. She’d spent over a year taking care of herself, a year away from him all together, from everyone. She had no intention of going back to the way that things were.

“I’ve got it,” she ground out.

“Elena…”

Clay suddenly stopped, the sound of a gunshot ringing in his ears. His eyes grew wider, even if only by a fraction, quickly scanning the property as his head snapped to the side. None of them had smelled any mutts in the area. Celine and Jeremy were the only ones out. Hell, they weren’t even supposed to have hunters on the property.

Clay grew stiff for a moment. Celine. She was out there with Jeremy. She was out there with the hunters.

“Damnit!” he hissed, biting the edge of his lip.

“Clay, where’s Jeremy?”

This was the second time that she’d asked now, her tone telling him that she wasn’t going to ask again. Before he could answer though, Jeremy did it for her, both wolves watching as their Alpha ran across the property line. Celine was by his side, ears down and tail between her legs. Clay had no clue how Jeremy had managed to keep her from bolting away, but he had. Unfortunately, he realized too late that Elena had also caught sight of the other wolf.

“Clay, what’s going on?” Elena said firmly.

She wasn’t stupid. She’d seen the other wolf with Jeremy and it wasn’t one that she was familiar with. Not to mention how lithe it was. In fact, it didn’t even smell right. The scent wasn’t the normal hint of raw earthy musk that accompanied most wolves.

“Clay…”

There was a hint of warning in her voice, but he still wouldn’t budge.

“Look, let’s just get inside and we’ll iron things out there?” he finally suggested.

Huffing, Elena pushed passed him, heading toward the house. She wanted answers and by God, she was going to get them one way or the other. Stone Haven wasn’t just a place for random people to start showing up, not unless they had business with the North American Alpha.

~xXx~

Changing was never the easiest thing for Celine. Although, the change to wolf was easier, she still found difficulty in reverting back to her human form. It was the very thing that she was trying to overcome as she heard the voices coming her way. One of them she knew, the familiar smell hitting her.

It was Clay, the male’s scent almost comforting as she tried to calm her nerves. She wasn’t expecting the gun fire, the sound still ringing in her ears. As a result, she found herself pacing outside Jeremy’s room upstairs, walking the length of the hall. It was always hard to calm herself down after such things, her body fighting as her muscles and nerves continued to twitch.

“Who are they, Clay?”

The voice was female, confusion running through her. She’d never had another woman inside the house.

“What’s it matter, they’re harmless.”

Harmless? What the hell was that even supposed to mean? No wolf was harmless. Tame maybe, but not harmless.

Snorting, Celine pawed at the Alpha’s door, whining. She could hear his footsteps, the sound of the doorknob turning following after. He was dressed now, eyes staring down at her as he let out a heavy sigh. He knew that he’d have questions to deal with, easily honing in on the sound of the other woman’s voice.

“You know, Celine,” Jeremy started, carefully kneeling down in front of her. “We’re going to have to work on focusing your mind,” he told her, running a hand through fur.

He too was painfully aware of her problem. If he was lucky, he might be able to convince Elena to help her. Until Logan was back, there wasn’t much he could do, short of sending her out toward Toronto to visit. Even then, Jeremy wasn’t too fond of the idea. Doing that meant having her out of his sights and it wasn’t something he was actually comfortable with at the moment. Having her out of reach meant that he couldn’t protect her.

“Jeremy?”

They both turned at the sound of the voice coming upstairs, Celine moving to stand behind Jeremy, the unfamiliarity making her nervous. Jeremy stood his ground though as he stood up, stepping forward and closing the door behind him. Celine followed, whining as she stood close behind him. Her whining stopped when the two figures where before them, Celine bowing her head while keeping by her Alpha.

“Elena,” Jeremy smiled, holding his arms open.

The woman made to move toward him, but the moment she saw Celine just behind Jeremy, she stopped.

Her eyes had finally realized what she was now that she was close enough. There was no mistaking her gender at this point and Elena found her eyes widening. In an instant, she had turned on Clay, hatred in her narrowed eyes.

“So, I wasn’t enough?” she hissed. “You had to go and bite someone else!?”

“It wasn’t Clay,” Jeremy said quickly, defending his son. “This wasn’t Clay’s doing,” Jeremy said more firmly this time.

Hearing this, Elena turned back around, eyes zeroing in on Jeremy and holding his gaze. Jeremy didn’t want her blaming Clay needlessly, merely because she was still angry at him after all this time.

“It was the result of a mutt attack a few months ago,” he explained, his hand reaching down and coxing Celine forward.

Exhaling slowly through his nose, Jeremy turned back toward Celine. His back was straight as he placed a hand on her head, fingers splayed out at the place between her ears.

“Celine, come,” he called.

Even though the command was a simple one, it took her a moment to comply, slowly stepping forward. Her tail was still tucked from uncertainty, but after a moment, she swallowed the lump in her throat and stood proudly for Jeremy. As proudly as she could bring herself to be that is.

When Elena saw this, the blonde’s shoulders loosened slightly.

“I was the one that found her,” Jeremy explained simply.

“How did a mutt go unnoticed on the property?” she asked carefully, ignoring his statement for the moment.

She was slow in stepping forward, almost hesitant as she knelt down in front of Celine. Her keen eyes were taking everything in, analyzing the young she wolf. She’d never seen another like herself before. Like her, Celine’s frame was small and lithe with a thick coat of fur. Unlike Elena’s almost white coat, Celine was a dark rich brown that bordered on black with a copper under belly. As Elena’s eyes continued to trail over the other female, she caught sight of her face, the left side scarred near the eye. It was obvious that it wasn’t from any normal accident. She knew torture when she saw it. In fact, she’d gone after the sadistic bastards that were normally responsible for it.

“We’re not sure,” Clay said. “It’s one that we’d never come across before. The smell is practically foreign.”

Slowly, Elena stood back up, her eyes keeping with Celine’s. It was then that the real question popped into her head.

“Why hasn’t she changed back?”

It was silent for a moment as they stood there, her question hanging in the air. Obviously, he didn’t feel like answering at the moment.

“Why don’t we continue this later?” Jeremy suggested, clasping Celine’s ear between his fingers and gently tugging at the soft fleshy tip as he changed the subject all together. “It really is good to see you, Elena.”

~xXx~

Several hours had gone by before there was any sort of change. Jeremy, despite Elena’s insistence on answers had remained with Celine, the two having confined themselves within the elder’s studio. He’d spent his time painting and drawing, anything to pass the time as he waited. The canvas before him was large, the white staring back at him dauntingly as he began to cover it with the barest hint of color.

Celine, despite her frustrations had finally managed to shift back to her human form. The pain had been evident on her face as it shifted, changing and morphing back into what was more natural and attune to her birth. Her eyes had been locked with his, his presence comforting as she came to a certain level of control. Then, finally, she’d pushed passed it all together.

Her eyes were closed as she sat before him, angled on her hands and knees. Her spine had been the last bit to pop into place and a groan broke from her lips. She was bare before him, her hair falling in waves in front of eyes as she drew in a heavy breath. Over the time she’d been with them, her hair had grown even longer, her new genetics pushing for control.

Drawing in a breath, Jeremy let his eyes travel over her form, every inch of her accessible to the eye. For wolves such as him it was a rather natural thing, being exposed to nudity. He was normally unfazed by the body’s anatomy, merely seeing it as an array of muscles that moved and worked together over a skeletal form. It was merely flesh. Although, he normally never had to deal with a woman’s form as most all wolves were male by nature. It was for this reason that Jeremy found himself staring quietly, his eyes slowly tracing over every detail of Celine’s body.

He’d done this before, unconsciously of course, but he’d done it nonetheless. The scene of her in the bathroom with him came to mind when she’d stood before him, unfazed by what she was. Her skin had been smooth and warm to the touch, despite the scarring, the skin red and puffy. Her hair had been wet as had his, clinging to her body, and he’d found his breath caught in the back of his throat. He could feel his heart pounding, blood rushing with each breath. For him, it was an unreal experience, his emotions and control slowly ebbing like the flow of water.

Over the last few months, Celine’s body had become toned, a hint of muscle peeking through skin. Her frame was still small, her size deceiving if one wasn’t knowledgeable of her current life. Practice and training had continued to pull her from her shell, her daily exercise raising her stamina bit by bit. Her legs were trim and well tapered, her waist pinching lightly at the middle just above the hips with the natural hint of a six pack from her abdominal muscles. It was nowhere near as bold as Clay’s, obviously, but he could still see the faint lines that presented themselves.

His eyes trailed higher up at that point, his breath catching for a moment more. His eyes drew lines like a brush as they traveled over her sides and below the swell of her breasts. They weren’t large by any means, but they were decently proportioned in shape as they dipped slightly toward her diaphragm and peaking due to her size.

Clearing his throat when she caught him staring, Jeremy turned back toward the canvas, carefully placing his brushes in their place, before stepping behind those collected in the back. He’d made a habit of storing a few pairs of extra clothing behind them, whether it was due to changing or due to lack of sleep and laziness. Very few times did he ever dirty his clothing with paint, but he still kept them in the room as a precaution.

~xXx~

Arguing, then silence. More arguing. Celine bit down on the fleshy skin of her lip, teeth pinching to the point of pain. The taste of copper filled her mouth for the barest of moments and for a split second her mind flashed back to the fiery iron that had scorched her flesh.

“How could you have possibly let someone slip passed onto the property!” Elena snapped.

Celine had followed Jeremy downstairs, trailing behind him effortlessly, her feet bare. The voices had not gone unheard to either of them, the volume growing louder as they stepped into the living room.

“Look, I already told you, the guy masked his scent,” Clay ground out.

Clay was getting angry at this point, his blood pressure rising at Elena’s onslaught. He’d tried explaining things to her, but it seemed to be going over her head. She wasn’t listening. At one point, she would have listened to him, holding strong to his words. That had all changed for Elena when she’d left.

“Clay,” Jeremy called out, ending the conversation between his son and mate.

They were silent, both looking toward their Alpha. The fact that Celine stood closely by didn’t go overlooked. She was nearly touching, her form slightly behind him. She didn’t quite meet Elena’s eyes though, glancing over at Clay as she bit down on her lip once more. Conflict was not her thing by any means. Especially, with her level of stress.

“When will Nicki be back?” Celine asked quietly, glancing at Jeremy.

He stood there for a moment, looking over his watch. At this point, Nicki and Antonio were likely waiting on Pete’s bus to arrive. Unfortunately, the ginger’s arrivals were always stalled.

**Chapter 15! Please, let me know what you think guys? I'd LOVE  to hear from you. I already have part of chapter 16 written out, so that one should be up before too long. Stay safe and keep reading!**


	16. Answered Questions

**To Run With the Rising Sun**

**Chapter 16**

**Answered Questions**

Celine smiled, standing beside Antonio at the stove. The two had been working together for the past half hour to 45 minutes, walking around the kitchen as they took care of things. Antonio, being the chef that he was, took care of the bacon, sausage, and eggs. He was a far better multitasker than Celine, given his years of experience, and he wanted to make sure that everything was cooked just right. While he did that, Celine took care of flipping the pancakes every few minutes, while also cutting up the ham. The ham in question was large, seated on a cutting block atop the old kitchen table. It was her job to slice it into manageable slices for everyone.

Taking the spatula in hand, Celine scooped up another round of pancakes, stacking the spongy patties on the large serving plate behind her. The silver glowed in the light of the kitchen fire, the light of the flames dancing off her exposed skin. She was more lively, comfortable even as she worked with Nicki’s father. She enjoyed his company just as she did Nicki’s. Antonio was a bit more silent though, taking to watching things around him. He had a kind heart though and was always the first to remind Celine that she belonged. It was almost like a second father. For a moment, that thought went through her mind and she paused, knife in hand as she stood ready to begin cutting into the ham once more. It’d been weeks since she’d thought of her parents.

“You and me, cheesecake,” he told her, smiling as he pointed a wooden spoon at her and causing her to blink.

Over the last month, Antonio had been gathering different recipes for her in hopes of teaching her to cook. He figured that by doing that, it would give her an outlet, allowing her to relax and clear her mind. At the same time, the information would allow her to properly feed herself, satisfying her ever growing appetite.

“Do you really think I could make a cheesecake?” she asked, a little uncertain at the prospect of such a task.

To her knowledge, cheesecakes were a temperamental thing. They had to be treated just right, otherwise, they wouldn’t come out. Plus, they normally had to have a ‘water bath’ in the oven. It was an odd concept for her and there was no doubt in her mind that she would likely botch the attempt all together. At the same time though, its not like it was a soufflé.

“Why not?” he offered, raising a brow in question.

Celine merely shrugged as she moved over to the cabinet and pulled a hand full of glasses down, the glass clinking together as she held them between her fingers, balancing their weight against one another perfectly. She was surprisingly well aware of their weight, but held no problem despite the odd positioning of her fingers as she placed them on the table, pouring a glass of juice for herself.

“Celine.”

She turned her head at the voice, her smile returning full force.

“Jeremy,” she grinned, stepping forward as she sat her glass to the side.

The male in question did the same, stepping forward in turn and wrapping his arms around her. He pulled her close as he pressed his lips to the crown of her head, enjoying the feel of her against him as he held her for just a moment. He then pulled away a moment later, looking her over.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked, walking toward the end of the table.

He allowed his hand to skim the surface, what was to be his plate already in its place, just like all the others. He noticed that milk and juice were setup at either end of the table, a glass at each spot. Antonio then placed a large platter of bacon before them, the smell wafting into the air. Most everything was in place.

“Alright, I guess,” Celine shrugged.

They all knew that sleeping wasn’t overly easy for her lately, her mind taking longer for it to wind down fully. Unlike before, she found that she wasn’t living with what was considered ideal circumstances. Most things as it were, had been on the extreme end. There never seemed to be an even medium to compare things to at this point, not with what she was now.

“Hot tea works wonders,” Antonio pointed out, calling over his shoulder as he pulled the cord for the bell in the corner of the room. “Or wine,” he added.

The bell signaled to the others that breakfast was ready and Celine cringed. It had been so quiet.

“It’s the Italian in you,” Jeremy chuckled, ignoring the bell all together.

“You couldn’t have waited just a little longer?” Celine whined. “It was actually quiet.”

The eldest Sorrentino merely chuckled, bringing one of the cast-iron pans over to the table.

“Sausages?” he offered, a smile on his face as he ignored her complaint.

The she wolf merely rolled her eyes, pulling her plate forward as he dumped a few on her plate. He offered the same to Jeremy, the Alpha nodding his head in response and pushing his own forward slightly. When Antonio turned back to the stove, she caught Jeremy reaching over, snatching a piece of bacon from the platter. Normally, it was tradition to wait until everyone was at the table before even putting food on their plates or eating. Especially, before eating. Not to mention, they weren’t allowed to eat until Jeremy finally gave the go ahead, having the first piece for himself. That was the role of Alpha.

“It’s not polite to eat before the others are present,” Antonio pointed out.

Celine watched as Jeremy nearly choked on the piece of bacon, placing a hand over his mouth as he tried to cover it up.

“I haven’t the slightest clue to what you’re suggesting,” he said dismissively, grabbing the coffee pot from the counter and pouring a bit into his mug.

“Out of my way pipsqueak!”

“Pipsqueak!?”

Celine placed a hand to her mouth as she laughed, listening as Pete and Nicki made their way into the kitchen. They were pushing and shoving at one another like children, eager to get a decent seat at the table. Nicki was the first one to approach her once they were in the kitchen, a grin on his face as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as he pressed his cheek to hers.

“Morning, beautiful,” he greeted, pressing a kiss to her cheek and giving her a light squeeze.

She merely smiled, leaning back against his chest as she closed her eyes. He smelled clean, with a hint of lavender and honey. This meant that he must have taken a shower, meaning that he’d been up even longer than she had without her even realizing it.

“You smell good,” she admitted.

This admittance was just another reason that she missed being able to roam around outside. Being outside allowed her to enjoy the fresh air, breathing in the scents of nature that she’d come to love. Quite frankly, she missed it.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he chuckled, pressing his nose into her hair. “Although,” he paused momentarily. “I have to admit, you could use a bath.”

“Nicki!” she scowled, smacking his arm.

“He’s just doing it to get a rise out of you,” Pete told her, coming up behind them as he put the culprit of the accusation in a headlock, before sniffing her hair for himself. “You smell fine.”

“Knock it off you two,” Jeremy told them, taking his place at the table.

Finally deciding to let Nicki go, Pete grabbed a glass from the table, pouring himself some juice.

“So, where’s my hug?” he asked innocently, a grin on his face.

Outside of the obvious one being Elena, Pete and Celine were a little less familiar with one another than the others. Over the months that Celine had been with them, she’d spent most of her time with Jeremy, Clay, and Nicki. Logan had been their go to in initially getting her settled in after putting together her file. They didn’t want any problems after the change. Her issues were also something that they knew Elena wouldn’t take lightly, given Clay’s normal opposition towards the subject. It was also a subject that Jeremy unfortunately knew was going to come up.

“Yes, of course, let me just stand from my seat,” Celine said playfully.

Watching the exchange, Jeremy couldn’t help, but to smile. Celine had come a long way in her ability to socialize after the turn. True, she still had a long way to go, but she was far better than she had been initially. The only thing that he had to worry about now, was when he eventually might have to reintegrate her back into the human world. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be for some time.

“Has anyone seen Elena?” Jeremy asked, glancing around. “Or Clay, perhaps?” he added.

Unfortunately, he knew that wherever Elena was, Clay was likely to follow.

“I don’t know about Clay, but Elena should have been right behind me,” Nicki explained, causing his father to raise a brow in question.

“Hey, I was nice,” he said defensively. “I knew that breakfast was nearly ready, so I decided to wake her up. That’s all.”

Celine rolled her eye at hearing this. Nicki could never keep to himself.

“What?” he scoffed, catching the look on her face.

“Oh, nothing,” Celine shrugged innocently.

She was trying not to smile, knowing that he wasn’t going to leave her alone. That fact was proven as he came back around the table, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders as he placed his face beside hers. It was like dealing with an over eager child at times instead of a grown man. In his case though, it was a grown wolf or _pup_ in her opinion.

“Celine,” he sang, a grin plastered on his face.

For a moment, she turned her head to look at him. She had a skeptical look on her face and then she saw a mischievous spark in his eye.

“Nicki,” she warned, his hands moving down just below her arm pits.

Before she could get another word in, she was suddenly hoisted out of her seat, a shriek escaping her. Nicki had tossed her over his shoulders, her back pressed against his. He had his hands wrapped around her ankles, leaving her to hang as he kept them somewhat near his shoulders.

“Nicki, I’m going to kill you!” she cried, flailing her arms around in an attempt at finding purchase on something other than the floor.

When her hands came up empty she found herself gripping at the back of his sweatpants.

“Nicholas, please put her down?” Jeremy asked, sitting down in his chair.

“But I was just starting to have fun,” the younger whined, tugging the woman up slightly by her ankles.

Blinking, Celine knew that she was already red in the face, the blood rushing down to her cheeks. For a moment, the fingers of her left hand pressed at the ground, the right wrapped behind her gripping at the muscle of his thigh. She could hear footsteps coming their way. She didn’t want to be found in such an embarrassing situation and as such, she decided to get even.

“Nicholas, do as your told,” his father told him.

“Bu-Shit!”

Nicki nearly howled as he dropped her, a light stabbing pain residing in the crease of his knee. Celine had used her nails on him, digging the points into the soft skin. She didn’t do anything damaging, merely leaving behind the feeling of a faintly pinched nerve. Still, she had gotten the desired effect, pushing herself up off of the floor.

“Was that really necessary?” Nicki whined, taking a seat as he rubbed the place behind his knee.

“Well, if you had listened,” she pointed out, brushing herself off. “Then maybe I wouldn’t have done it.”

Jeremy didn’t say a word, his head tilting to the side as Elena slowly made her way into the kitchen. The blonde was fully dressed, an almost cream colored outfit resting on her shoulders. Looking down, he caught sight of her 4 inch booted leather heels. Her boots were something that would never change about her. She had always worn them before coming to Stone Haven, while she was at Stone Haven, and apparently even after leaving Stone Haven.

“Elena,” Jeremy greeted.

“Jeremy,” she nodded.

“Elena,” Pete sang, a grin plastered on his face.

She went over to him, wrapping her friend in a hug. It wasn’t long after that, that Celine had decided to tune things out, her mind going else where for a bit as she ignored the all too personal banter between the group. It was Elena’s personal realm at the moment apparently, not hers.

~xXx~

Nicki had asked her to watch, pulling the young she wolf to the side before he headed upstairs. He was planning on surprising Elena with a sudden entrance, hoping to catch her off guard as a means of testing her current awareness level. He’d even done something similar to Celine once, unfortunately, ending up on the ground with a throbbing jaw. Clay had been there when it had happened and he’d had a field day with it. The she wolf had planned on staying out of the way all together initially. She was more than willing to leave them to their own devices and hide away in the house. Nicki’s pestering had proved otherwise, leaving her sitting out atop the roof with a full view of the ground below.

Blinking, Celine leaned back on her hands, closing her eyes as she allowed the wind to blow through her hair to its content. She’d honestly missed the feeling, wishing to stay outside and just run. She only opened them when she heard Nicki shift beside her, watching as he jumped down off the roof with a small salute.

She gripped the roofing in her hands as she leaned forward to watch. Despite Nicki’s sudden appearance, Elena had no problem in dodging, tossing him into the grassy lawn. He was quick on his toes, falling forward in an attempt to sweep her legs out from under her. The blonde jumped out of the way, throwing out a kick of her own. Nicki blocked it and grabbed hold of her ankle, throwing her out against the side of the house. Unable to catch herself quick enough, Elena fell down into the section of crawl space that resided there, her face almost staring into the tiny window of the basement.

For a moment, Celine’s nose twitched and she leaned out further, gripping the edge of the roof even harder than before. Her hair fell down along the side of her face as she caught sight of Elena. The blonde was trying to figure a way out as Pete stood there watching.

“I hope you’re not letting him off easy?” Pete laughed, downing another gulp of his juice.

He’d come outside to watch the ordeal, Clay following shortly after. The latter glanced up the moment he was outside, his eyes locking with Celine’s for a few short seconds. It was enough to pull her from the edge of the roof, hiding back and out of the way as her face heated up in embarrassment. She still didn’t know why she agreed to come out here, carefully biting down on her lip. She blamed Nicki. It’d be just as easy to slip back inside the window of Jeremy’s studio room and forget about the whole thing. In fact, she’d almost done just that, until she heard the sound of Elena’s boots scaling the bricked wall.

Turning her gaze back toward the ground, she watched as Elena threw punch after punch, kick after kick. Nicki, due to her fierce comeback was now left on the defensive as he tried to keep up. He was doing a decent job at it too, blocking her hits and countering every now and then. He’d always been quick on his feet with an attention to detail. Although, it was normally that ‘attention’ that dug him into trouble. He wanted to get his nose in on everything.

“Come on, you can do better than that,” Nicki goaded, dodging a blow to the side of the head.

He grabbed hold of her leg and twisted, spinning her in mid air. Unfortunately, his arrogance got the better of him. Elena had used his momentum and stance against him, using her other leg to knock out his own as she placed her hands on the ground behind her. With in the span of several seconds, Nicki found himself on the ground, foot at his throat and his arm twisted painfully.

“And I’m done,” Celine stretched out, a grin on her face as she swung back into Jeremy’s painting room.

She nearly stumbled back though when she came face to face with said Alpha, her face red as she found herself standing not two feet away from him.

“Spectating?” he presumed.

The question was a simple one, a look of neutrality on his face. Antonio was stood about three feet behind him. No doubt the two had also been watching from above. Still, the proximity almost had Celine climbing right back out the window.

“I, um…” she stammered. “It was Nicki’s idea,” she told him, wringing her hands.

She felt so awkwardly out of place standing there, her eyes flitting around the room.

“Look, I’m gonna…” she made a gesture to leave as she skirted around the Alpha, nearly bumping into Antonio.

She was almost out the door when he called her attention back.

“Tonight, when we go out in search of the mutt, I want you with me,” he told her.

His words made her pause, confusion washing over her. Did this mean that he didn’t trust her with Nicki or Clay? Pete or Logan? They were all responsible and capable wolves. She’d just as soon stay home.

“I want you where I can see you,” he said. “I’m not taking any chances.”

Nodding her head, Celine felt her shoulders relax slightly. He was worried about her, despite the fact that she could more than likely take care of herself. She assumed that it had to do with the previous attack against them; against her. The memory caused her to wince. She wanted the image gone from her mind.

“I’ll keep within sight,” she nodded.

~xXx~

A slap echoed through the living room, followed by a curse. Celine was laughing.

“Damn that hurt,” Nicki grumbled, rubbing the back of his hand. “Can’t I have just one?” he whined.

“You might if you’d actually pay attention,” Celine countered, racking the cards toward herself.

They were playing Slap Jack, something that Celine was having too much fun at. In all honesty, the idea of cards was Nicki’s idea. Celine had merely been the one to suggest the specific game, one of the few that she actually knew how to play. Nicki promised that he’d teach her others, like poker for instance. Now, that was a game that Nicki was good at. Granted, it got him in trouble on occasion.

“But you already have most of my cards!”

He was like a child with his whining.

“Fine,” she shrugged, laying down her next card.

It was a ten of clubs. Nicki’s three of diamonds was next, then a six of spades, a king of diamonds, and a nine hearts. Three cards later he found himself beat again, Celine dragging the cards away.

“Celine!”

“It’s not my fault I have quicker reflexes,” she snickered.

“You know what? That’s it!” he proclaimed, tossing his cards down.

In four steps he had crossed the space of the living room, a look of determination on his face. Celine’s eyes were suddenly wide as she shot up from her seat, tripping on the leg of the table. She scrambled against the mat, nails digging into the fabric as she launched out of the way, fingers grabbing at the back of her ankles.

“Nicki, no!” she squealed, falling against the floor as he pulled at her ankles. “Shit!”

~xXx~

Hearing a large thump upstairs, Jeremy turned his eyes to the ceiling. Elena was beside him, a look of confusion on her face as she watched Jeremy shake his head.

“Does this happen often?” Elena asked, raising a brow question.

“It varies,” he replied, looking over the map in front of him. “Sometimes it’s Clay, sometimes its Nicki.”

His statement surprised her, a slight knot forming in the pit of her stomach as she thought about Clay. It was hard for her to imagine Clay being playful with another individual.

Jeremy seemed to pick up on her thoughts, turning back to face her.

“Elena, you must remember, you’ve been gone for over a year,” he told her. “Clay and Nicki played a large role in getting Celine through the first few months,” he explained.

“Jeremy, this is Clay that we’re talking about,” she reminded him. “He’s not a Sorrentino.”

“No, he’s not, but he is my son,” he pointed out.

She was quiet for a moment, listening to the noise upstairs. She could hear the two rolling around and laughing. She could understand this with Nicki, despite the oddity of another wolf. Nicki had always been a fun loving individual. It was in his nature. He was laid back, rarely taking things seriously. In a way, he was like a comic relief. He was the goof of the group.

“Clay’s not as cold as you might think, Elena.”

“You never explained why she has a problem changing,” Elena said, sidestepping the topic of Clay.

Letting out a sigh, Jeremy ran a hand through his hair. For a moment, he merely stood there as he weighed his options. He knew that he’d have to explain, otherwise she’d manage to find out on her own. With this in mind he walked over to the side of the room. He let his hands brush over the books on the shelf. He stopped when he caught the tab of the folder he was looking for. Pulling it free, he gazed down at it, gripping it in his hands.

“I believe it’d be best if you read this first,” he told her. “Though keep an open mind and remember how far she has come.”

Confused, Elena pulled the file from his hand. It was thick and could easily be mistaken for a book with the number of pages that were incased inside. Laying it down on the table she flipped it open. The first thing she saw was the murder article in bold text.

The young blonde felt her mouth go dry as she stood there, her eyes skimming over the first of many articles in front of her.

  _Witness testimony verifies a man in his 40’s was seen leaving an apartment complex down town after shots were fired at around 7 in the evening. Was last seen in a black hoodie, jeans, and white converse. Height around 5’ 7”. Suspect is Caucasian.  Suspect on the run and at large. Man leaves behind two dead and one wounded. Officials have yet to release the names of these individuals, but no doubt carry condolences to the family._

Elena moved on to the next article, laying the previous clipping to the side.

_Twenty-two year old Celine Hamilton found alive in her apartment after violent shooting. Gunshot wound to the neck and shoulder. Parents, Charles and Erica Hamilton pronounced dead on the scene. Female transported to Townsen General Hospital, New York._

Again, she moved to another article, brows furrowed as she continued to read. For nearly two weeks, Celine was the focus of the press, her photo showing up in nearly every paper. Three weeks later, another article was published.

_Almost a month later and victim Celine Hamilton is still without answers. Sources say that after the funeral, Hamilton has remained locked inside her apartment without a sound. When we asked investigator Eric Rizzo, his statement was this, “My team has been searching the city high and low for this man. The fact that he’d managed to evade us this long is a miracle in itself, but I promise you this, we will find this man and bring him to justice for the lives he’s taken and the damage he’s done to that woman. I can only imagine what she’d going through right now. If by any chance you’re reading this right now, we will catch you!”_

The obituary was the next thing that she looked at. It was to be a chilly Fall day. Erica Hamilton, Celine’s mother, hers was to remain a closed casket. Charles, her father, he was undamaged enough to have an open viewing. Flipping through the folder, Elena nearly gagged. They’d dug up some of the crime scene photos. She had to bypass them in order to keep from cringing. A single glance was enough to know that the real images would haunt Celine until her death.

As Elena looked into the medical records of the file, she finally found her answer. It should have been obvious to start with, the trauma that she’d suffered. All it took was a gun shot to send her back to that night.

“She has PTSD,” Jeremy confirmed.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Bitten story and so I really need help and ideas to make sure it stays on track. If anyone has ANY IDEAS I'd be more than happy to hear them. That means PLEASE MESSAGE ME. I want to hear your thoughts and opinions on this story as its turn out will ultimately rely on you.


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